Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket: Gophers No. 9

Minnesota plays at 11 a.m. Thursday

Minnesota is locked into the No. 9 seed and will face the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at 11 a.m. CT on Thursday. 

Minnesota is No. 9 due to the tiebreaker with Ohio State and Penn State. Minnesota went 3-1 combined against the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions to win the tiebreaker. 

1. Purdue 17-3
2. Illinois 13-6
3. Nebraska 12-8
4. Northwestern 12-8
5. Wisconsin 11-9
6. Indiana 10-10
7. Iowa 10-10
8. Michigan State 10-10
9. Minnesota 9-11
10. Ohio State 9-11
11. Penn State 9-11
12. Maryland 7-13
13. Rutgers 7-13
14. Michigan 3-17

If the Gophers defeat Michigan State on Thursday, they'll advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday against No. 1 Purdue. That game would also tip off at 11 a.m. CT and be televised on Big Ten Network. 

If the Gophers upset Purdue, they would play Saturday at 4 p.m. CT in the conference semifinals. The Big Ten Championship Game is set for Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT. The semifinals and championship will be televised on CBS. 

All tournament games will be played at Target Center in Minneapolis. 

Big Ten Network

Feb 6, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Cam Christie (24) shoots as Michigan State Spartans guard A.J. Hoggard (11) defends during the first half at Williams Arena / Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports