The men’s Big Ten tournament is back, and this year’s field might be one of its best yet.
A first-of-its-kind conference tournament — only 15 of the conference’s 18 programs qualified for it — that is filled with storylines from top to bottom gets underway on Wednesday, March 12 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Watch select Big Ten tournament games live with Fubo (free trial)
Led by star freshman Jase Richardson and Jaden Akins, Michigan State is the No. 1 seed in the field for the first time in several years. The Spartans have been playing some of their best basketball of late and appear to be peaking at the right time of the season.
The bottom half of the 15-team bracket is absolutely loaded, with three USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll top 25 teams and four teams that are locks for the men’s NCAA Tournament: No. 2 seed Maryland, No. 3 seed Michigan, No. 6 seed Purdue and No. 7 seed Illinois.
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If the Spartans don’t cut down the nets on Sunday in the leadup to Selection Sunday, it could be any of the mix of the Terrapins, Wolverines, Boilermakers and Illini. Another team could be Wisconsin, though the Badgers, who are anchored by John Tonje, have dropped three of their last five games.
Then there are several Big Ten teams — most notably Indiana and Ohio State — that are looking to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding projections this upcoming week in Indianapolis.
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Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 Big Ten Basketball Tournament:
When is the 2025 Big Ten Basketball Tournament?
- Dates: Wednesday, March 12 through Sunday, March 16
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
The 2025 men’s Big Ten tournament will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, in Indianapolis. It is the 13th time the Big Ten has brought its men’s basketball tournament to Indianapolis, and the first since 2022.
Big Ten Basketball Tournament bracket
Here’s a look at the full men’s Big Ten tournament bracket seeding:
- Michigan State (17-3) *
- Maryland (14-6) *
- Michigan (14-6) *
- UCLA (13-7) *
- Wisconsin (13-7) **
- Purdue (13-7) **
- Illinois (12-8) **
- Oregon (12-8) **
- Indiana (10-10) **
- Ohio State (9-11)
- Rutgers (8-12)
- Minnesota (7-13)
- Northwestern (7-13)
- USC (7-13)
- Iowa (7-13)
- Nebraska (7-13) ***
- Penn State (6-14) ***
- Washington (4-16) ***
* double-round bye
** first-round bye
*** did not qualify for tournament
2025 Big Ten Basketball Tournament schedule
All times Eastern
First round: Wednesday, March 12
- Game 1: No. 12 seed Minnesota vs. No. 13 seed Northwestern | 3:30 p.m. | Peacock
- Game 2: No. 10 seed Ohio State vs. No. 15 seed Iowa | 25 minutes after Game 1 | Peacock
- Game 3: No. 11 seed Rutgers vs. No. 14 seed USC | 25 minutes after Game 2 | Peacock
Second round: Thursday, March 13
- Game 4: No. 8 seed Oregon vs. No. 9 seed Indiana | Noon | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Game 5: No. 5 seed Wisconsin vs. Winner of Game 1 | 25 minutes after Game 4 | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Game 6: No. 7 seed Illinois vs. Winner of Game 2 | 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Game 7: No. 6 seed Purdue vs. Winner of Game 3 | 25 minutes after Game 6 | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 14
- Game 8: No. 1 seed Michigan State vs. Winner of Game 4 | Noon | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Game 9: No. 4 seed UCLA vs. Winner of Game 5 | 25 minutes after Game 8 | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Game 10: No. 2 seed Maryland vs. Winner of Game 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Game 11: No. 3 seed Michigan vs. Winner of Game 7 | 25 minutes after Game 10 | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
Semifinals: Saturday, March 15
- Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 | 1 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
- Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11 | 25 minutes after Game 12 | CBS (Fubo)
Championship: Sunday, March 16
- Game 14: Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13 | 3:30 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
What channel is the Big Ten basketball tournament on?
The 2025 Big Ten Basketball Tournament will be carried across a wide array of networks and platforms. All three first-round games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming platform; the Big Ten Network will televise the entirety of the second-round and quarterfinals games; and CBS will handle the semifinals and championship game.
Streaming options for the games that will be carried on the Big Ten Network and CBS include the Fox Sports Go app and CBS app (with a TV login) and then Fubo, which carries both the Big Ten Network and CBS and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
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This story was updated to add a photo gallery.
