Big Ten Tournament Preview: Players to Watch, Potential Upsets, NCAA Bids at Stake

The 2023 Big Ten Tournament tips off Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago, and runs through Sunday afternoon. Here's our Tournament preview, including players to watch, possible upsets, teams with NCAA Tournament chances at stake and more.

The 2023 Big Ten men's basketball tournament begins on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. CT at the United Center in Chicago and concludes with the championship game on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT.  Click HERE for the full tournament schedule, with game time and TV information for the entire weekend.

Here's the bracket for the 2023 Big Ten Tournament, which begins Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago

Before No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 13 Ohio State begin the tournament, here are a few storylines to monitor, including players to watch, possible upsets, teams desperate to win and more.

The favorite

Purdue won the Big Ten regular season title by three games, led by the Big Ten Player of the Year, Zach Edey. After establishing an early lead in the conference standings, there was never much doubt Purdue would win the league. The Boilermakers stumbled a bit with a 2-4 record in February, but they ended the regular season with two wins. Purdue was ranked No. 1 in the country for seven weeks this season, and coach Matt Painter's group enters the week as the odds-on favorite to win the Big Ten Tournament.

NCAA Tournament hopes at stake

According to Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology released on Tuesday night, four Big Ten teams surround the NCAA Tournament bubble. The first game of the Big Ten Tournament is a must-win game for Wisconsin, who Lunardi considers one of the first four teams out of the Big Dance. The Badgers need a win over Ohio State, Iowa, and possibly Michigan State, too, to punch their ticket. Thursday starts with a matchup between bubble teams Rutgers and Michigan, who could boost their chances with a win over No. 1 Purdue on Friday. Penn State kept its hopes alive with game-winning shots by Camren Wynter in back-to-back games against Northwestern and Maryland last week, and the Nittany Lions will at least need to beat No. 7 Illinois on Friday.

Team with upset potential

Nebraska enters the Big Ten Tournament with wins in five of its last six games, including an 81-77 win at Iowa on Sunday. Keisei Tominaga has scored 20-plus points in six of his last eight games, and Derrick Waker earned second team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Nebraska plays the league's worst team, Minnesota, on Thursday, followed by a matchup with No. 6 Maryland, who holds a 4-10 record away from home. I wouldn't be surprised to see coach Fred Hoiberg and the Cornhuskers play on Friday against No. 3 Indiana.

Players to watch

Purdue's Zach Edey and Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis are the most obvious answers for this category, and they're sure to put up impressive numbers this tournament. Here are a few other names to keep an eye on.

• Jalen Pickett, Penn State: Pickett earned first team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He leads a Penn State offense with four players that shoot above 39 percent from 3-point range, and their spacing could give Illinois trouble on Thursday.
• Kobe Bufkin, Michigan: Bufkin had a breakout sophomore season, jumping into the conversation as a first-round NBA Draft pick. He scored a career-high 28 points against Wisconsin, followed by 23 points at Illinois and 19 at Indiana. Michigan is desperate for a couple wins to have a chance at NCAA Tournament.
• Tyson Walker, Michigan State: With quickness and 42.9 percent 3-point shooting, Walker is a tough cover for any opponent. Front court size and depth is a concern if they play Purdue on Saturday, but Walker is the kind of player who can get hot and help the Spartans go deep in the Big Ten Tournament.
• Boo Buie, Northwestern: Buie scored a combined 47 points in back-to-back upset wins over Purdue and Indiana in February. If Northwestern is able to bounce back from a 1-3 stretch at the end of the regular season, Buie will be leading the way.
• Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana: The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Hood-Schifino's best game came Feb. 25 at Purdue when he scored 35 points to lead Indiana to victory. He's been inconsistent at times, but developed great chemistry in the pick-and-roll game with Trayce Jackson-Davis. Xavier Johnson won't return this season, making Hood-Schifino's play critical to Indiana's success.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana won 21 games in the regular season and had several magical moments, including two wins against arch-rival Purdue and big road wins at Illinois and Michigan. Expectations were high for this team in the beginning, but there are also warts, and we've seen them in the past week or so. So how do we feel now heading into the postseason? Here is HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew's column CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The Big Ten men's basketball tournament is Wednesday through Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. Here's the full schedule, with game times and TV information, plus a lot of great stats and newsy nuggets on the tournament. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN AWARDS: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media on Tuesday, and also was named to the all-defensive team. Jalen Hood-Schifino was named Freshman of the Year, and Miller Kopp won the league's sportsmanship award. CLICK HERE