Michigan State Women's Basketball Earns 3rd Seed in Big Ten Tournament

The Spartans will begin action on Friday, March 4.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women’s basketball has earned the third seed in the upcoming Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, which will be held March 2-6 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The third-seeded Spartans (22-7, 13-5 B1G) earned a double bye into the quarterfinals. Sixth-seeded Purdue takes on the winner of the first round game between No. 11-seeded Penn State and No. 14-seeded Illinois on Thursday, March 3. MSU will face the winner of that game on Friday, March 4, 25 minutes after the conclusion of the game that begins at 6:30 p.m. (ET).

For the second-straight season, Maryland earns the top seed in the tournament, while Ohio State is No. 2 seed. No. 4-seeded Indiana is the final team to earn the double bye.

The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 2, with No. 12-seed Northwestern taking on No. 13-seed Wisconsin at 1:30 p.m. (ET). The Nittany Lions will then take on the Fighting Illini 25 minutes after the conclusion of this game.

MSU is the No. 3 seed in the B1G Tournament for the first time since 2007, and the third time overall, after also being the third seed in 2006. All three times that the Spartans have been the No. 3 seed, the tournament has been played in Indianapolis and the MSU has advanced to the semifinals both of the previous two times before losing to the eventual champion, falling to No. 1 seed Ohio State in 2006 and No. 2 seed Purdue in 2007.

BTN will carry the first 12 games of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, while Sunday’s championship game will be televised by ESPN.

Entering the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, eight teams have been crowned champion. Maryland is the most recent team to earn a title, claiming the program’s first-ever title last season. Purdue leads the way with nine tournament titles, while Ohio State owns four tournament championships. Iowa and Penn State have each had two, while Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan State both have one title in program history.

Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament tickets can be purchased at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000. For more information on the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, go to www.bigten.org.

Fans can also download the official Big Ten Championship Events app on iOS or Google Play for an easy way to access information leading up to the event and on site. Find out all the latest information about the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, including maps, parking, fan guide, schedule, and any late breaking news you need when attending the games.