The 2021 Big Ten Tournament kicks off tomorrow, bringing some of college basketball's most dangerous teams to Indianapolis, Indiana. This tournament will provide a great test for the Big Ten teams before March Madness.
The opening round of the Big Ten Tournament features the bottom four seeds, and the winner of each match will face a top-25 opponent. The strength of the Big Ten cannot be understated, and it is one of the most entertaining tournaments of the year.
Big Ten Tournament 2021 - Everything you need to know
The top-seed and regular-season champions, the Michigan Wolverines, are looking very strong, but this tournament is as unforgiving as any. With a single-elimination format, the Wolverines will need to shake off recent upsets if they are going to keep their magical season alive.
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa Hawkeyes bring some big talent into the mix, not to mention the Purdue Boilermakers' late surge in the standings. This tournament is not won by the most talented team but by the team that comes through in the clutch.
Big Ten Tournament 2021 - Seeds
Although the Michigan Wolverines are the top-seed in the tournament, the Illinois Fighting Illini are the highest-ranked team in the NCAA Top 25. With their recent blowout victory over Michigan, the Fighting Illini jumped to number three overall, looking very strong on both ends of the floor.
The sleeper of the tournament could be the 4th-seed Purdue Boilermakers. Following an impressive five-game winning streak to close out the regular season, the Boilermakers seem to have found their rhythm at the perfect time. Being led by first-team All-Big Ten forward Trevion Williams, their offense cannot be taken lightly.
Tournament seeding: 1 Michigan, 2 Illinois, 3 Iowa, 4 Purdue, 5 Ohio State, 6 Wisconsin, 7 Rutgers, 8 Michigan State, 9 Maryland, 10 Indiana, 11 Penn State, 12 Northwestern, 13 Minnesota, 14 Nebraska
Big Ten Tournament 2021 - Bracket
First Round -
Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Game 1: (12) Northwestern vs. (13) Minnesota - 6:30 PM ET
Game 2: (11) Penn State vs. (14) Nebraska - 9:00 PM ET
Second Round -
Thursday, March 11th, 2021 - Indianapolis, IN
Game 3: (8) Maryland vs. (9) Michigan State - 11:30 AM ET
Game 4: (5) Ohio State vs. Game 1 winner - 2:00 PM ET
Game 5: (7) Rutgers vs. (10) Indiana - 6:30 PM ET
Game 6: (6) Wisconsin vs. Game 2 winner - 9:00 PM ET
Quarterfinals -
Friday, March 12th, 2021 - Indianapolis, IN
Game 7: (1) Michigan vs. Game 3 winner - 11:30 AM ET
Game 8: (4) Purdue vs. Game 4 winner - 2:00 PM ET
Game 9: (2) Illinois vs. Game 5 winner - 6:30 PM ET
Game 10: (3) Iowa vs. Game 6 winner - 9:00 PM ET
Semifinals -
Saturday, March 13th, 2021 - Indianapolis, IN
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner - 1 PM ET - CBS
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner - 3:30 PM ET - CBS
Big Ten Tournament Championship
Sunday, March 14th, 2021 - Indianapolis, IN
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 11 winner - 3:30 PM ET - CBS
Big Ten Tournament 2021 - Live stream for March Madness
All opening-round and quarterfinal matches will be available via live-stream on the Big Ten Network. The semifinals and Big Ten Championship will be broadcast live on CBS.
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