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The Big Ten Basketball Tournament is an annual event featuring men's basketball teams from universities that are members of the Big Ten Conference. The tournament features a bracket format, with the 2024 edition including 16 teams and the 2025 edition featuring 15 teams. The number of teams and format of the tournament have been subjects of discussion and evolution over the years. The 2025 tournament, for example, saw the bottom three teams from the regular-season standings excluded, with the remaining teams competing in a bracket structure that granted double-byes to the top four seeds. Michigan State has historically been the most successful program in the tournament, having won six titles, including the most recent in 2019.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | March 12-16, 2025 |
| Venue | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
| Teams | 16 |
| Format | Double-bye for top four seeds; play-in games for bottom teams |
| Seedings | Michigan State (1), Maryland (2), Michigan (3) |
| Winners | N/A |
| Broadcasters | CBS, Paramount+ app |
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What You'll Learn
2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament took place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Wednesday, March 12, to Sunday, March 16. The tournament featured 16 teams and followed a standard bracket format, with the top four seeds receiving double-byes and advancing directly to the quarterfinal round.
The first round of the tournament kicked off with Game 1 between #13 Northwestern and #12 Minnesota, followed by Game 2 between #15 Iowa and #10 Ohio State, and Game 3 between #14 USC and #11 Rutgers. The first round concluded with Game 4, a matchup between #8 Oregon and #9 Indiana.
The second round of the tournament saw #5 Wisconsin face the winner of Game 1, while #7 Illinois played against the winner of Game 2. #6 Purdue took on the winner of Game 3, and #1 Michigan State, the top seed, played against the winner of Game 4.
The quarterfinal round featured #4 UCLA, #2 Maryland, and the winners of the second-round games. The tournament progressed through the semifinal and championship rounds, with Michigan State, Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin making it to the latter stages.
The 2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket and schedule provided fans with exciting matchups and a highly competitive environment. The tournament showcased the talent and determination of the participating teams, with each game presenting its own unique challenges and storylines.
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Michigan State's success
Michigan State has historically been the most successful team in the Big Ten Tournament, winning six titles, including in 2019. The Spartans have also claimed 17 Big Ten regular-season titles, the most in program history, with 11 of those coming under head coach Tom Izzo—the most under any coach in Big Ten history.
In the 2024 tournament, Michigan State was seeded eighth and made it to the quarterfinals, where they were knocked out by top seed Purdue. The previous year, Michigan State was seeded second and made it to the semifinals, losing to third seed Illinois.
In the 2025 tournament, Michigan State earned the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2019. They beat Oregon in the first game but were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Wisconsin, who went on to win the tournament.
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Tournament structure
The Big Ten Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament that features a bracket-style structure. The number of teams participating in the tournament has varied over the years, with 14, 16, and 18 teams mentioned across sources. The bottom-ranked teams from the regular season may be excluded from the tournament.
The tournament typically begins with a series of play-in games, which feed into the first round. The number of play-in games depends on the total number of teams participating. For example, in a 16-team bracket, there may be two play-in games, while a format with 18 teams may feature six play-in games.
The first round of the tournament proper then takes place, with the winners of the play-in games filling out the bracket. The exact structure of the first round can vary, but it generally involves match-ups between teams seeded closely together. The top four seeds typically receive a double-bye, advancing directly to the quarterfinal round.
The winners of the first round advance to the second round, where they face higher-seeded teams. From there, the tournament proceeds with quarterfinals, semifinals, and a championship game. The specific timing and scheduling of these rounds can vary, but the tournament typically spans multiple days, with the later rounds taking place on the weekend.
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2024 Big Ten Tournament
The 2024 Big Ten Tournament featured a new format due to the expansion of the conference to 18 teams. The bottom three teams from the regular season were left out of the tournament, and the top 15 teams competed in a tournament that resembled the format used when the conference had 14 teams, with the addition of a third first-round game. This resulted in a busier first day of the tournament, with 6 games taking place.
The tournament organizers had to decide whether to use two venues or to split the first round over two days. They opted for play-in games on Tuesday, the first round on Wednesday and Thursday, quarterfinals on Friday, and the medal rounds on the weekend.
The 2024 Big Ten Tournament concluded on Sunday, March 17, with Illinois defeating Wisconsin to claim the championship. The tournament featured close matchups and exciting games, with Illinois taking the top prize.
- Game 1: No. 12 Maryland 65, No. 13 Rutgers 51
- Game 2: No. 11 Penn State 66, No. 14 Michigan 57
- Game 3: No. 8 Michigan State 77, No. 9 Minnesota 67
- Game 4: No. 5 Wisconsin 87, No. 12 Maryland 56
- Game 5: No. 10 Ohio State 90, No. 7 Iowa 78
- Game 6: No. 6 Indiana 61, No. 11 Penn State 59
- Game 7: No. 1 Purdue 67, No. 8 Michigan State 62
- Game 8: No. 5 Wisconsin 70, No. 4 Northwestern 61
- Game 9: No. 2 Illinois 77, (opponent unknown)
- Game 13: No. 2 Illinois 93, No. 5 Wisconsin 87
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Tournament viewing
The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is an annual event, with 2025 marking the inclusion of UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington, bringing the total number of participating teams to eighteen. The tournament bracket is a 16-team bracket played over 4 days, with the bottom three teams from the regular-season standings left out. The tournament typically begins with play-in games, followed by the first round, quarterfinals, and medal rounds over the weekend.
For the 2025 tournament, the top four seeds—Michigan State, Maryland, Michigan, and UCLA—received double-byes and began tournament play on Friday in the quarterfinal round. The tournament games were played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Wednesday, March 12, to Sunday, March 16. The semifinal and championship games were televised live on CBS and the Paramount+ app.
- Game 1: #13 Northwestern vs. #12 Minnesota
- Game 2: #15 Iowa vs. #10 Ohio State
- Game 3: #14 USC vs. #11 Rutgers
- Game 4: #8 Oregon vs. #9 Indiana
- Game 5: #5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner
- Game 6: #7 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner
- Game 7: #6 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner
- Game 8: #1 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner
- Game 9: #4 UCLA vs. Game 5 winner
- Game 10: #2 Maryland vs. Game 7 winner
The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament concluded on Sunday, March 17, with Illinois defeating Wisconsin in the championship game.
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Frequently asked questions
The 2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket is as follows:
Game 1 (#13 Northwestern vs. #12 Minnesota)
Game 2 (#15 Iowa vs. #10 Ohio State)
Game 3 (#14 USC vs. #11 Rutgers)
Game 4 (#8 Oregon vs. #9 Indiana)
Game 5 (#5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner)
Game 6 (#7 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner)
Game 7 (#6 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner)
Game 8 (#1 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner)
Game 9 (#4 UCLA vs. Game 5 winner)
Game 10 (#2 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner)
Game 11 (#3 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner)
Game 12 (Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner)
Game 13 (Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner)
Game 14 (Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner)
Game times vary, but the quarterfinals will be played on Friday, with the medal rounds on the weekend.
The 2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament was held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Big Ten Tournament has expanded to 18 teams with the addition of UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington. However, the bottom three teams from the regular-season standings are left out of the tournament, resulting in a 15-team tournament.
