The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, the largest in conference history, is underway.
This year, for the first time, all 18 teams in the conference will compete for the postseason title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Due to the expansion to 18 teams, the top four seeds will have three days off, rather than two, before their first game.
Action started Tuesday, March 10 and runs through Sunday, March 15 — right up until Selection Sunday — at Chicago’s United Center, and we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know: matchups, seeding, dates, times, TV channels and more.
Games will air on Peacock, Big Ten Network and CBS.
Here’s how the bracket looks:
First Round – Tuesday, March 10
- Game 1: No. 17 seed Maryland 70, No. 16 seed Oregon 60
- Game 2: No. 15 seed Northwestern 76, No. 18 seed Penn State 66
Second Round – Wednesday, March 11
- Game 3: No. 9 seed Iowa 75, No. 17 seed Maryland 64
- Game 4: No. 12 seed Washington 83, No. 13 seed USC 79
- Game 5: No. 10 seed Indiana 61, No. 15 seed Northwestern 74
- Game 6: No. 11 seed Minnesota 67, No. 14 seed Rutgers 72
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Third Round – Thursday, March 12
- Game 7: No. 8 seed Ohio State vs. No. 9 seed Iowa (noon ET, BTN)
- Game 8: No. 5 seed Wisconsin vs. No. 12 seed Washington (2:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 9: No. 7 seed Purdue vs. No. 15 seed Northwestern (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 10: No. 6 seed UCLA vs. No. 14 seed Rutgers (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 13
- Game 11: No. 1 seed Michigan vs. Game 7 winner (noon ET, BTN)
- Game 12: No. 4 seed Illinois vs. Game 8 winner (2:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 13: No. 2 seed Nebraska vs. Game 9 winner (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 14: No. 3 seed Michigan State vs. Game 10 winner (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
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Semifinals – Saturday, March 14
- Game 15: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
- Game 16: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Final – Sunday, March 15
- Game 17: Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
This story will be updated throughout the tournament. Check back for updates.
