Big Ten Daily (March 13): 4 Teams to Watch in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament gets underway on Wednesday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. There are four interesting teams worth keeping an eye on: Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Indiana.

It's officially tournament time in the Big Ten. Wednesday, the 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament gets underway with Rutgers playing Maryland and Penn State battling Michigan in the opening round from the Target Center in Minneapolis.

What would March be without some predictions? While I'm not diving deep into the bracket, there are a handful of teams I'll be keeping an eye on during this week's conference tournament.

Here are four teams that can do some damage in Minneapolis.

The Day 1 threat

Penn State Nittany Lions

• Big Ten Tournament seed: No. 11
• Records: 15-16 (9-11 in Big Ten)
• The skinny: Making a run from Wednesday to Sunday is a nearly impossible task. And while I don't necessarily think Penn State will reach the championship round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Nittany Lions do have a chance to create some chaos. Mike Rhoades' was incredibly streaky this season, but managed upset wins over Wisconsin and Illinois. If Penn State beats Michigan on Day 1, it will have a rematch with Indiana, a team it swept during the regular season. The Nittany Lions would need tremendous play from stars like Ace Baldwin Jr., Nick Kern Jr. and Zach Hicks. They'd need some big contributions off the bench. But this team has scratched and clawed all season long. It'll be interesting to see if that toughness carries over into the Big Ten Tournament.

The possible first-time winner

Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Big Ten Tournament seed: No. 3
• Records: 22-9 (12-8 in Big Ten)
  
• The skinny: Nebraska enters the Big Ten Tournament coming off its best-ever finish in the regular season standings, locking up the No. 3 seed and earning a double-bye. The Huskers picked up valuable wins over Kansas State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Michigan State during the season. This team can create space on the floor with Keisei Tominaga and CJ Wilcher's ability to shoot from deep. Rienk Mast can play inside or outside and Juwan Gary is an elite-level defender. Nebraska has all the pieces to make a championship run. The one concern? Can they do it on a neutral floor? The Huskers got two road wins in the Big Ten late in the season, beating Indiana and Michigan and gaining some confidence in games played outside of Lincoln. Without question, Fred Hoiberg's squad has a great opportunity to win a conference tournament title this year.

The 'getting hot at the right time' teams

Ohio State Buckeyes

• Big Ten Tournament seed: No. 10
• Records: 19-12 (9-11 in Big Ten)
  
• The skinny: Ever since it made the decision to part ways with Chris Holtmann, Ohio State has looked like a completely different team. The Buckeyes are 5-1 under interim coach Jake Diebler with wins over Purdue, Michigan State and Nebraska. Because of the hole it was in, Ohio State wasn't able to climb any higher than the 10-seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but avoiding playing on Day 1 is significant for this team. With Bruce Thornton, Jamison Battle and Roddy Gayle Jr., the Buckeyes have the talent necessary to make a run. If they are able to get past Iowa on Thursday, it'll set up a showdown with 2-seed Illinois. A win in that game wouldn't only send Ohio State to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, it might help the case for a March Madness bid. Diebler has the Buckeyes playing a fun brand of basketball at just the right time. 

Indiana Hoosiers

• Big Ten Tournament seed: No. 6
• Records: 18-13 (10-10 in Big Ten)
  
• The skinny: Just when you thought you could write Indiana off, it makes an impressive run to close out the regular season. The Hoosiers are winners of four straight games entering the postseason, climbing all the way up to a No. 6 seed. Kel'el Ware has been a double-double machine and the return of senior guard Xavier Johnson has really provided a spark for Mike Woodson's squad. Can IU finally exorcise the demons associated with the poor play in the Big Ten Tournament? The road will be challenging. There's a good chance Indiana plays Penn State on Thursday — the Hoosiers lost both games to the Nittany Lions in the regular season. If IU did squeak past Penn State, it would then battle 3-seed Nebraska — which also went 2-0 vs. Indiana in the regular season. So, the Hoosiers have a difficult road, but they've been playing with a completely different energy over the last two weeks.

Related Big Ten stories

• BIG TEN BANTER: Purdue won the Big Ten regular season title and has essentially locked up a No. 1 seed for March Madness. There's really nothing for the Boilermakers to gain in the Big Ten Tournament. Should Matt Painter limit minutes for the starters in Minneapolis? CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TOURNEY DAY 1 PREVIEW: The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament tips off on Wednesday, March 12 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Here's the preview for the two opening round games: Rutgers vs. Maryland and Penn State vs. Michigan. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN AWARD WINNERS, ALL CONFERENCE: The Big Ten Conference announced the individual award winners and All-Big Ten teams for the 2023-24 men's basketball season. Purdue's Zach Edey was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for a second straight season and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg and Matt Painter split Coach of the Year honors. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TRACKER: 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. CLICK HERE