2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament: Matchups, Dates, Times, TV Info and More
The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket is set. Here's a look at the matchups, dates, times and television information for every game from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
After a grueling 20-game conference schedule, the bracket is set for the 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. The regular season was incredibly entertaining from start to finish, and we expect to see the same this week.
This year's Big Ten Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 13 and runs through Sunday, March 17. The host site is the Target Center in Minneapolis, the first time the men's tournament has been played in the venue.
Here's the complete schedule for the 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
Day 5 results (Sunday, March 17) - Championship
- Game 13: No. 2 Illinois def. No. 5 Wisconsin 93-87
- Recap: Overcoming double-digit deficits was a theme for Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament, and Sunday's championship game was no different. The Fighting Illini trailed Wisconsin by 10 points in Sunday's contest, but Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask fueled Illinois to a comeback victory. Illinois owned a 41-40 halftime lead, but Wisconsin came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. The Badgers jumped out to a 61-51 advantage less than six minutes into the half, appearing to take complete control of the game. But Illinois roared back, tying the game at 65-65 at the 11-minute mark. As the two teams traded punches, it was ultimately a 3-pointer from Shannon with 1:29 to play that propelled the Illini to a victory. Shannon led the way with 34 points and Domask was tremendous, scoring 26 points, dishing out eight assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Dain Dainja came off the bench to give the Illini nine points and seven rebounds. AJ Storr scored 24 and Chucky Hepburn added 20 for the Badgers.Â
Day 4 results (Saturday, March 16) - Semifinals
- Game 11: No. 5 Wisconsin def. No. 1 Purdue 76-75 (OT)
- Recap: The third time was the charm for Wisconsin. After losing the two regular season meetings to Purdue, the Badgers finally upset the Boilermakers in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin and Purdue traded punches all throughout the game, but it was the play of Chucky Hepburn at the end of regulation and overtime that put the Badgers over the hump. With Purdue leading 66-64 with less than three seconds to play, Hepburn scored a layup on the final play of regulation to force overtime. Then, with the Boilers leading 75-72 in overtime, Hepburn made another layup to cut the deficit to just one point with 41 seconds. It set up an opportunity for Max Klesmit to knock down a game-winning jumper, sending the Badgers to the Big Ten Tournament championship. Hepburn finished the game with 22 points and four assists. AJ Storr put up 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in the victory. Purdue got 28 points and 11 rebounds from Zach Edey, who became the program's all-time scoring leader on Saturday.
- Game 12: No. 2 Illinois def. No. 3 Nebraska 98-87
- Recap: It was the tale of two halves in the final semifinal game of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday. Nebraska came out of the gate red-hot, looking like the same team that demolished Indiana in quarterfinals on Friday. The Huskers owned a 51-40 advantage at halftime and extended the lead to 15 points in the first 90 seconds of the second half. Then, the Fighting Illini came to life. After a timeout taken by Brad Underwood, Illinois went on a 13-2 run to trim the lead to just four points with 13 minutes to play. Luke Goode tied the game at 68-68 on a 3-point jumper with over nine minutes to play. The Illini then started pouring it on, taking a 15-point advantage of their own. Nebraska continued to fight until the end, but ultimately came up short. Terrence Shannon Jr. was outstanding for Illinois, scoring a Big Ten Tournament record 40 points in the win. Marcus Domask also had a big game for the Illini, scoring 16 points, dishing out eight assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Quincy Geurrier had 13 and Goode gave Illinois 12 off the bench. Nebraska got 23 from Brice Williams, 18 from Keisei Tominaga and 15 from Rienk Mast.
Day 3 results (Friday, March 15) - Quarterfinals
- Game 7: No. 1 Purdue def. No. 8 Michigan State 67-62
- Recap: The quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament started off with a bang, as Purdue and Michigan State battled all the way down to the wire. Purdue prevailed in a physical battle on Friday, but the victory didn't come without some major concerns. Early in the second half, star sophomore guard Braden Smith exited the contest with an apparent leg injury. Fortunately for the Boilermakers, the Bob Cousy Award finalist returned to the floor and was able to finish the game after a stop in the locker room. Michigan State made Purdue work for it, battling from start to finish. Although the Spartans found themselves in a 12-point hole at one point, they tied the game at 56-56 with 1:46 remaining. That's when Purdue's Fletcher Loyer knocked down a big triple to put the Boilers ahead for good. Zach Edey had another stellar performance, scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the win. Lance Jones was the only other Boilermaker to get into double figures, scoring 10. Tyson Walker and Malik Hall led the way for the Spartans, scoring 15 and 12, respectively.
- Game 8: No. 5 Wisconsin def. No. 4 Northwestern 70-61
- Recap: Two of the Big Ten's premier scorers put on one heck of a show in Minneapolis in the second game fo the quarterfinal round on Friday. Wisconsin's AJ Storr scored 30 points and Northwestern's Boo Buie ended with 29 in a great matchup between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds. Northwestern caught fire early, building a 21-10 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest. But the Badgers woke up quickly, closing the half on a 22-8 run to take a 33-29 lead into the break. Although Wisconsin led the entire second half, Northwestern kept within striking distance. At the 11-minute mark, the Badgers owned a 49-46 advantage. It was at that point Wisconsin slowly increased its lead, pushing the score to 62-52. Freshman John Blackwell delivered the knockout blow with just over two minutes to play, burying a long 3-point attempt to give Wisconsin a 70-59 lead. Along with Storr's 30-point outing, the Badgers also got 19 points and seven rebounds from Steven Crowl and 10 points and seven assists from Max Klesmit. Northwestern struggled shooting in Friday's game, converting on just 37.7% of its field goal attempts for the contest.
- Game 9: No. 2 Illinois def. No. 10 Ohio State 77-74
- Recap: There hasn't been a lot of talk about Dain Dainja for Illinois this season, but that changed on Friday night. The 6-foot-9 forward came off the bench and provided a huge spark for the Fighting Illini, fueling his team to a quarterfinal win over Ohio State to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Illinois and Ohio State put on an incredible show in Minneapolis. The Buckeyes appeared to be in control in the second half, building a 10-point lead at 56-46 with 10:38 to play. But the Fighting Illini mounted an impressive comeback, sparked by a 10-1 run over the next two minutes. Dainja and Shannon hit some clutch shots down the stretch and Coleman Hawkins was a nuisance on the defensive end. Ohio State's Jamison Battle hit a 3-point with 1:43 to play, giving his team a 74-71 lead late. But Illinois got to the charity stripe and knocked down six free throws to regain the lead at 77-74. Battle had one last chance to tie the game, but missed a 3-point attempt. Shannon ended the game with 28 points and Ty Rodgers had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Dainja gave the Illini 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench in the victory.
- Game 10: No. 3 Nebraska def. No. 6 Indiana 93-66
- Recap: The lone blowout of the quarterfinal round game in the final contest of the night. Nebraska had no trouble with Indiana, as the Huskers lit up the Hoosiers from behind the 3-point line. Friday's matchup got out of hand in the final three minutes of the first half. With Nebraska ahead 33-27, the Huskers then went on a 17-0 run to close out the half, taking a 50-27 advantage into the locker room. Indiana was never able to fight back. The lone bright spot for the Hoosiers was the play of CJ Gunn, who came in and scored 15 points off the bench. Late in the game, Indiana coach Mike Woodson was also ejected from the contest after receiving two technical fouls. The Huskers knocked down 14-of-31 shots from behind the 3-point line in the game. Brice Williams and Keisei Tominaga were sensational, each scoring 23 in the win. Jamarques Lawrence came in off the bench to give the Huskers 15 and Juwan Garry scored 11 in the victory. Nebraska is heading to the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history.
Day 2 results (Thursday, March 14)
- Game 3: No. 8 Michigan State def. No. 9 Minnesota 77-67
- Recap: Basketball is a game of runs and we saw plenty in the first game Thursday between Michigan State and Minnesota. The Gophers started the game hot, opening up a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes, giving the hometown Minneapolis crowd something to celebrate. Michigan State was able to settle in, though, with both teams trading punches the rest of the way. Ultimately, it was a 17-3 run by Michigan State in the second half — kickstarted by an AJ Hoggard 3-pointer at the 12:35 mark — that was the biggest difference in the game. The Spartans used that run to build a 61-52 advantage with less than seven minutes to play. Minnesota didn't roll over, but it couldn't dig out of the hole. Michigan State found success with active hands on the defensive end, forcing 12 Gopher turnovers. The Spartans also did a solid job on the offensive glass, collecting eight boards. Hoggard led the way for Michigan State with 17 points and six assists. Tyson Walker finished the game with 15 points and Jaden Akins had nine points and seven rebounds. Dawson Garcia finished with 19 points for Minnesota and Elijah Hawkins ended the afternoon with 10 points and seven assists.
- Game 4: No. 5 Wisconsin def. No. 12 Maryland 87-56
- Recap: This one was over early. Wisconsin had one of its best shooting performances of the season, especially from 3-point range. It started early and continued through the final buzzer. The Badgers jumped out to a 28-15 lead in the first nine minutes and Maryland had absolutely no answer. By halftime, Wisconsin stretched the lead out to 21 points. Greg Gard's team didn't let up in the second half, leading by as many as 42 points. To be quite honest, it was one of the most boring tournament games in recent memory. The Badgers made 16-of-25 shots from behind the 3-point line, a sizzling 64%. They also shared the ball incredibly well, making 31 shots on 25 assists. Freshman John Blackwell came off the bench and gave Wisconsin 18 points and five rebounds. Steven Crowl scored 17 and AJ Storr put up 16. Senior Chucky Hepburn had a strong outing, too, scoring 10 points and dishing out eight assists in the victory. Maryland's Jahmir Young ended the afternoon with 18 points.
- Game 5: No. 10 Ohio State def. No. 7 Iowa 90-78
- Recap: Ohio State's impressive run under interim coach Jake Diebler continued on Thursday night in Minneapolis. The Buckeyes never trailed in the Round 2 contest against Iowa, though it was hardly a runaway. Ohio State owned a 43-38 advantage at halftime and the Hawkeyes continued to hang around for a good portion of the second half. Ohio State took an 11-point advantage at the 10:54 mark in the second half. Although Iowa continued to make a few late pushes, the Buckeyes responded. The key for Diebler's squad was the 3-point line, knocking down 11-of-20 shots from deep. Ohio State also won the rebounding battle 42-36 and held Iowa to just 41.9% from the floor for the game. Buckeyes star Jamison Battle had a big night, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Bruce Thornton scored 14 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds. Scotty Middleton came off the bench to give the Buckeyes 11 points, making all three of his 3-point attempts. Ohio State is now 6-1 under Diebler. The Buckeyes now have a legitimate shot to reach the NCAA Tournament, especially with a win over No. 2 seed Illinois in the quarterfinal.
- Game 6: No. 6 Indiana def. No. 11 Penn State 61-59
- Recap: The best game of Thursday came in the final contest of the night. The third meeting between Indiana and Penn State went down to the wire, with Anthony Leal scoring o a put-back with five seconds to play. That late basket proved to be the game-winner, lifting the Hoosiers to a 61-59 win and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. The two teams went back and forth in the second half, one of the most entertaining games of the tournament through Thursday. It was Indiana's defense that got the job done, holding Penn State to just 27.6% from the floor Kel'el Ware had another monster night, scoring 18 points and collecting 14 rebounds in the win. Malik Reneau scored 12 points and got eight rebounds. Leal scored eight points off the bench for the Hoosiers. Penn State got 16 points and eight rebounds from Puff Johnson and Ace Baldwin Jr. finished the night with nine points, six assists and five rebounds. Indiana carries a lot of momentum into the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament, having won five straight games.
Day 1 results (Wednesday, March 13)
- Game 1: No. 12 Maryland def. No. 13 Rutgers 65-51
- Recap: It was all Maryland from the opening tip-off. The Terrapins jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first 2:45 of the game. For a team that shoots as poorly as Rutgers, it was essentially over from that point forward. Maryland owned a 36-22 advantage at halftime and then went on an 11-2 to extend the lead to 47-24 in the first three minutes of the second half. The Scarlet Knights really never had a chance. Donta Scott led the way for the Terrapins, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. Julian Reese added 12 points and Jahmir Young and Jamie Kaiser Jr. both added 11. Maryland also held Rutgers to just 31.1% shooting and outrebounded the Scarlet Knights 45-33 in the win.
- Game 2: No. 11 Penn State def. No. 14 Michigan 66-57
- Recap: Give Michigan some credit, despite a crummy season, it showed some fight in Wednesday's opening round game against Penn State. The contest was knotted at 20-20 with just over four minutes to play when Penn State's Zach Hicks knocked down a triple to spark a 13-2 run to close the half, giving the Nittany Lions a 33-22 lead at the break. The Wolverines chipped away at that advantage in the second half, scoring the first seven points out of the locker room. Penn State pulled away after a few more big shots from Hicks, but Michigan refused to roll over. But after the Wolverines pulled to within four points at 50-46 with 9:32, the Nittany Lions hit the gas. Ace Baldwin, Qudus Wahab and Hicks provided a jolt late in the second half, pushing the lead to 60-49 and ending Michigan's hopes of an upset. Hicks had a huge night for Penn State, scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds in the win. Baldwin finished the night with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds while Wahab totaled 13 points and eight rebounds. Penn State ended the game with just 10 turnovers (though two were in the final 30 seconds) and got to the free throw line 29 times, making 23.Â
Seeding (Big Ten record)
- Purdue Boilermakers (17-3)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (14-6)
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-8)
- Northwestern Wildcats (12-8)
- Wisconsin Badgers (11-9)
- Indiana Hoosiers (10-10)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (10-10)
- Michigan State Spartans (10-10)
- Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-11)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (9-11)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (9-11)
- Maryland Terrapins (7-13)
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-13)
- Michigan Wolverines (3-17)
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