Winning the Big Ten regular-season crown and then capturing the conference tournament is nothing new for Purdue, which did just that a year ago and seemed poised to make the program’s first Final Four appearance since 1980 and third overall.
Then came Fairleigh Dickinson. Purdue’s shocking first-round exit marked just the second loss by a No. 1 seed to a No. 16 since the tournament expanded nearly 40 years ago, joining Virginia’s loss to Maryland-Baltimore County in 2018.
One year later, the Cavaliers rebounded to capture the national championship. The Boilermakers’ quest to follow in UVA’s footsteps is the biggest national storyline heading into the Big Ten tournament.
Big Ten tournament schedule, bracket, scores
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First round
Wednesday March 13
Maryland vs. Rutgers, 6:30 p.m.
Penn State vs. Michigan, 9 p.m.
Second round
Thursday, March 14
Minnesota vs. Michigan State, noon
Wisconsin vs. Maryland-Rutgers winner, 2:30 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Iowa, 6:30 p.m.
Indiana vs. Michigan-Penn State winner, 9 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, March 15
Purdue vs. Minnesota-Michigan State winner, noon
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin vs. Maryland-Rutgers winner, 2:30 p.m.
Illinois vs. Ohio State-Iowa winner, 6:30 p.m.
Nebraska vs. Indiana-Michigan-Penn State winner, 9 p.m.
Semifinals
Saturday, March 16
Purdue-Minnesota-Michigan State winner vs. Northwestern-Wisconsin-Maryland-Rutgers winner, 1 p.m.
Illinois-Ohio State-Iowa winner vs. Nebraska-Indiana-Michigan-Penn State winner, 3:30 p.m.
Championship
Sunday, March 17
Semifinal winners, 3:30 p.m.
The Big Ten tournament favorites
Purdue dominated the regular season behind another banner year from 7-foot-4 senior Zach Edey, the favorite to claim national player of the year honors for the second year in a row. The Boilermakers’ biggest threat should come from Illinois, which should land among the top four NCAA tournament lines but could contend for a higher seed by winning the conference tournament. Third-seed Nebraska has been one of the big success stories in the Power Six and did beat Purdue earlier this year, so don’t sleep on the Cornhuskers, either.
Big Ten tournament top players
Zach Edey, C, Purdue – The numbers are outstanding (24.2 points, 11.7 rebounds per game) and should make Edey just the third male to be named the Naismith College Player of the Year multiple times, joining Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson.
Boo Buie, G, Northwestern – The fifth-year senior has averaged double figures every season but saved his best for last, ranking fourth in the Big Ten in points per game (18.9) with 5.2 assists per game and an 87.4% mark from the line, fifth in the conference.
Terrence Shannon, G, Illinois – Shannon (21.6 points per game) is the best pure scorer in the conference and one reason why high-scoring Illinois could make a run into April.
Keisei Tominaga, G, Nebraska – Nebraska’s long-range bomber leads the team in scoring (14.6 points per game) while chipping in 2.3 rebounds and just under a steal per game.
Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers – Omoruyi leads the Big Ten in blocks per game (2.9, good for third nationally) and is a key scorer for the Scarlet Knights, who are 10-5 when the senior cracks double digits.
NCAA tournament bubble storylines in the Big Ten
Six teams appear locked into the tournament: Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Michigan State.
Two teams that could play their way into the tournament with multiple wins this week are Iowa and Ohio State. After firing coach Chris Holtmann in February, the Buckeyes have climbed to 54th in the NET rankings thanks to four wins in a row to end the regular season at 19-12 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes (18-13) and Buckeyes meet in the second round, with the winner advancing to play the Illini.
Indiana has also won four in a row to get to 18 wins but are hampered by a 3-8 mark in Quad 1 games and an 0-6 record against ranked competition. Anything less than a trip to the conference championship would leave the Hoosiers on the outside of the field.