2026 Big Ten men's basketball tournament bracket, schedule, how to watch: Can anyone knock off Michigan in Chicago?
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Michigan has likely done enough to claim a No. 1 seed already. But is a conference tournament title a given?
Here's everything you need to know entering the Big Ten tournament this weekend in Chicago.
Can anyone actually get Michigan?
Michigan went 29-2 this season and only truly slipped up briefly in a bad loss to Wisconsin back in January, which snapped its 14-game win streak. The Wolverines nearly beat Duke in an unusually late non-conference matchup not even a month ago, too, though Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils held on late in Washington D.C. to grab a five-point win.
Other than that, and a narrow escape at Penn State in January, nobody in the Big Ten has really been able to come close. They beat Michigan State, perhaps the second-best team in the league, twice by double digits — including on Sunday to end the regular season. The Wolverines led almost the entire way in a commanding win over Purdue, and beat Nebraska, which has its own issues and just barely beat Iowa after a 20-point loss at UCLA last week.
But if anyone can get to Michigan, it’s probably the Spartans. Sure, they’ve fallen twice to their in-state rival this season. Tom Izzo's group ended the year winning five of their last six, including at Purdue. And they’ve received the double-bye in the conference tournament and are on the opposite side of the bracket at the 3 seed, so their biggest threat on that side is No. 2 seed Nebraska. That, at least on paper, is an easier path to the Big Ten title game. And if the Spartans can pull that off, keeping a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament would be very likely.
Regardless, the winner of this conference tournament is likely going to come from one of the top four teams with the double bye. With how strong the top of the league is compared to the bottom half, a break until Friday will be extremely beneficial.
Big Ten men’s basketball tournament basics
When: March 10-15
Where: United Center | Chicago
TV: CBS, BTN, Peacock
Big Ten men’s basketball schedule, results
All times ET
Tuesday, March 10 — First Round
Game 1 | No. 17 Maryland vs. No. 16 Oregon | 5 p.m. | Peacock
Game 2 | No. 18 Penn State vs. No. 15 Northwestern | 25 min. after G1 | Peacock
Wednesday, March 11 — Second Round
Game 3 | G1 winner vs. No. 9 Iowa | 12 p.m. | Peacock
Game 4 | No. 13 USC vs. No. 12 Washington | 25 min. after G3 | Peacock
Game 5 | G2 winner vs. No. 10 Indiana | 6:30 p.m. | BTN
Game 6 | No. 14 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Minnesota | 25 min. after G5 | BTN
Thursday, March 12 — Third Round
Game 7 | G3 winner vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 12 p.m. | BTN
Game 8 | G4 winner vs. No. 5 Wisconsin | 25 min. after G7 | BTN
Game 9 | G5 winner vs. No. 7 Purdue | 6:30 p.m. | BTN
Game 10 | G6 winner vs. No. 6 UCLA | 25 min. after G9 | BTN
Friday, March 13 — Quarterfinals
Game 11 | G7 winner vs. No. 1 Michigan | 12 p.m. | BTN
Game 12 | G8 winner vs. No. 4 Illinois | 25 min. after G11 | BTN
Game 13 | G9 winner vs. No. 2 Nebraska | 6:30 p.m. | BTN
Game 14 | G10 winner vs. No. 3 Michigan State | 25 min. after G13 | BTN
Saturday, March 14 — Semifinals
Game 15 | G11 winner vs. G12 winner | 1 p.m. | CBS
Game 16 | G13 winner vs. G14 winner | 25 min. after G15| CBS
Sunday, March 15 — Championship
Game 17 | G13 winner vs. G14 winner | 3:30 p.m. | CBS