Bracket & Seeding Predictions for 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament

The 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament and Conference Championship game are getting closer by the day now that it’s officially the same month that boasts March Madness.

Here are the most up-to-date predictions for the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Conference Tournament’s seedings, bracket, and matchups between conference teams (per On3) going for the Big Ten title.

Dates, Location & Venue for The 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament

GettyA detail of a logo prior to the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship between the Michigan Wolverines and the Wisconsin Badgers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 16, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

• Dates of Tournament: March 10, 2026 – March 15, 2026
• Championship Game: March 15, 2026 at 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET
• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Venue: United Center

Big Ten Team Seedings as of March 2026

GettyBraden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a layup against Nimari Burnett #4 of the Michigan Wolverines during the first half in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 14, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

These are the most likely seedings for the upcoming Big Ten Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament as of March 2026:

Seed No. 1 – Michigan (17-1)

Seed No. 2 – Nebraska (14-4)

Seed No. 3 – Michigan State (14-4)

Seed No. 4 – Illinois (13-5)

Seed No. 5 – Purdue (12-6)

Seed No. 6 – Wisconsin (12-6)

Seed No. 7 – UCLA (11-7)

Seed No. 8 – Iowa (10-8)

Seed No. 9 – Ohio State (10-8)

Seed No. 10 – Indiana (8-10)

Seed No. 11 – USC (7-11)

Seed No. 12 – Minnesota (7-11)

Seed No. 13 – Washington (6-12)

Seed No. 14 – Rutgers (5-13)

Seed No. 15 – Northwestern (5-13)

Seed No. 16 – Oregon (4-14)

Seed No. 17 – Maryland (4-14)

Seed No. 18 – Penn State (3-15)

A Very Likely Prediction of the Big Ten Tournament Bracket

GettyA detail view of the BigTen logo is seen on a basketball as the Penn State Nittnay Lions play against Ohio State Buckeyes during the first day of the Big Ten Men’s Conference Basketball Tournament March 10, 2005 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Ohio State won 72-69.

As of March 1, 2026 and March 2, 2026, these are the most likely matchups of teams who will be playing each other in the TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament as all 18 conference teams strive to become the Big Ten title holder before March Madness kicks off the national competition on March 15, 2026 with Selection Sunday. Here are the predicted selections for the Big Ten Conference Tournament:

First Round – Tuesday March 10, 2026

The Television host for airing Game 1 and Game 2 is TBD.

• Game 1 – No. 17 Maryland vs No. 16 Oregon, 4:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM ET
• Game 2 – No. 18 Penn State vs No. 15 Northwestern, 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET

Second Round – Wednesday March 11, 2026

Game 5 and Game 6 can be viewed on the Big Ten Network, but the television host for airing Game 3 and Game 4 is TBD.

• Game 3 – No. 9 Ohio State vs Winner of Game 1, 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET
• Game 4 – No. 13 Washington vs No. 12 Minnesota, 1:30 PM CT / 2: 30 PM ET
• Game 5 – No. 10 Indiana vs Winner of Game 2, 5:30 PM CT / 6:30 PM ET
• Game 6 – No. 14 Rutgers vs No. 11 USC, 8:00 PM CT / 9:00 PM ET

Third Round – Thursday March 12, 2026

All Third Round Games will be available to viewers on the Big Ten Network

• Game 7 – No. 8 Iowa vs Winner of Game 3, 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET
• Game 8 – No. 5 Purdue vs Winner of Game 4, 1:30 PM CT / 2:30 PM ET
• Game 9 – No. 7 UCLA vs Winner of Game 5, 5:30 PM CT / 6:30 PM ET
• Game 10 – No. 6 Wisconsin vs Winner of Game 6, 8:00 PM CT / 9:00 PM ET

Quarterfinals – Friday March 13, 2026

All four Quarterfinals Games will be available to viewers on the Big Ten Network

• Game 11 – No. 1 Michigan vs Winner of Game 7, 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET
• Game 12 – No. 4 Illinois vs Winner of Game 8, 1:30 PM CT / 2:30 PM ET
• Game 13 – No. 2 Nebraska vs Winner of Game 9, 5:30 PM CT / 6:30 PM ET
• Game 14 – No. 3 Michigan State vs Winner of Game 10, 8:00 PM CT / 9:00 PM ET

Semifinals – Saturday March 14, 2026

The Semifinal Games will be available by broadcast on CBS and streaming on Paramount+

• Game 15 – Winner of Game 11 vs Winner of Game 12, 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
• Game 16 – Winner of Game 13 vs Winner of Game 14, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET

Big Ten Championship Game – Sunday March 15, 2026

The Big Ten Conference Championship Game will be available by broadcast on CBS and streaming on Paramount+

• Game 17 – Winner of Game 15 vs Winner of Game 16, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET

For other conference dates, click here. Find out how to watch Games 1-4 here and Games 5-14 here.

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