Conference tournament previews: ACC | Big East | Big 12 | SEC
Michigan State enters the Big Tournament as regular-season champions seeking to double dip as tournament champions after starting the season unranked.
Meanwhile, a handful of Big Ten teams will be sweating the NCAA tournament bubble. Here’s what to know about and what to watch for at the Big Ten tournament, including matchups, game times and TV channels.
[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K]
3 storylines to watch
Can Michigan State sneak onto No. 1 seed line?
After starting the season unranked, Michigan State has emerged as one of the nation’s best teams and enters conference tournament play on a seven-game winning streak that includes five wins over ranked teams, two of them over rival Michigan.
The Spartans appear locked into a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and will hope to make a case for a No. 1 seed in Indianapolis. It’s a long shot that will require some significant help from the SEC tournament. Either way, the Spartans are playing their best basketball at the right time and are red hot entering tournament play.
Can Michigan turn things around?
Meanwhile, Michigan has been spiraling. After a 14-3 start to Big Ten play, the Wolverines have lost three straight and four of their last six, including Sunday’s lopsided loss to Michigan State in the regular-season finale.
The Wolverines are slipping in NCAA tournament bracket projections and will look to re-find their footing with a run in Indianapolis.
How will Big Ten bubble teams shake out?
Ohio State and Indiana enter Big Ten tournament play on the NCAA tournament bubble. Indiana appears to be the safer bet after beating Ohio State in their regular-season finale. Nebraska, meanwhile, appears to have played itself out of contention with five straight losses to end the season that left it out of the Big Ten tournament field.
How to watch the Big Ten tournament
(All times approximate in ET)
When: March 12-16
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis
TV: CBS, Big Ten Network, Peacock
Game Schedule:
Wednesday March 12 | First round
Game 1: No. 13 Northwestern vs. No. 12 Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. | Peacock
Game 2: No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 10 Ohio State, 6 p.m. | Peacock
Game 3: No. 14 USC vs. No. 11 Rutgers, 8:30 p.m. | Peacock
Thursday, March 13 | Second round
Game 4: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oregon, Noon | Big Ten Network
Game 5: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner, 2:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Game 6: No. 7 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Game 7: No. 6 Purdue vs Game 3 winner, 9 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Friday, March 14 | Quarterfinals
Game 8: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner, Noon | Big Ten Network
Game 9: No. 4 UCLA vs. Game 5 winner, 2:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Game 10: No. 2 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Game 11: No. 3 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Saturday, March 15 | Semifinals
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 1 p.m. | CBS
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Sunday, March 16 | Championship
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 3:30 p.m. | CBS
