Big Ten Tournament 2016: Preview, Predictions and Players to Watch
The Big Ten Tournament has been one of the most competitive and entertaining postseason conference tournaments in the nation.
Regularly held in Indianapolis and Chicago, last year's tournament in the Windy City was quite predictive, as Wisconsin and Michigan State met in a final that the Badgers won in overtime. Both teams ended up going to the Final Four.
This year's tournament in Indianapolis has a chance to match that one when it comes to entertainment value, particularly if highly ranked Michigan State and regular-season champion Indiana meet in the semifinals or finals.
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The Big Ten features eight teams with winning records that have a chance to make a bold statement in the conference tournament. In addition to the Hoosiers and Spartans, Maryland, Wisconsin, Purdue, Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan are all good enough to play deep into the Indianapolis competition.
However, it seems Northwestern, Penn State, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota and winless Rutgers are in way over their heads.
| March 9 | 1 | No. 13 seed vs. No. 12 seed | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| March 9 | 2 | No. 14 seed vs. No. 11 seed | 7 p.m. | BTN |
| March 10 | 3 | No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 seed | Noon | BTN |
| March 10 | 4 | 13-12 winner vs. No. 5 seed | 2:30 p.m. | BTN |
| March 10 | 5 | No. 10 seed vs. No. 7 seed | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| March 10 | 6 | 14-11 winner vs. No. 6 seed | 9 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| March 11 | 7 | 9-8 winner vs. No. 1 seed | Noon | ESPN |
| March 11 | 8 | Game 4 winner vs. No. 4 seed | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| March 11 | 9 | Game 5 winner vs. No. 2 seed | 6:30 p.m. | BTN |
| March 11 | 10 | Game 6 winner vs. No. 3 seed | 9 p.m. | BTN |
| March 12 | 11 | Semifinal (Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner) | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| March 12 | 12 | Semifinal (Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner) | 3:30 p.m. | CBS |
| March 13 | 13 | Championship Game | 3 p.m. | CBS |
There is an air of unfinished business around the Spartans (26-5, 13-5). After losing the Big Ten title game a year ago and then making it all the way to the Final Four before getting punished by Duke in the national semifinals, Michigan State's senior-laden team appears to have overcome problems it had in the early part of the Big Ten season.
The Spartans have won six games in a row and 10 out of their last 11. Denzel Valentine is a legitimate player of the year candidate and a likely first-round draft choice who is averaging a league-leading 19.3 points per game.
Matt Costello is Valentine's partner, and he is a tough 6'9", 245-pounder who will sacrifice his body to get rebounds, play tough defense and dive to get loose balls. He is averaging 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Bryn Forbes is averaging 15.2 points per game and has shown much improvement this season.
Indiana (24-6, 14-3) clinched the Big Ten title when it beat Iowa 81-78 on the road Tuesday night. Head coach Tom Crean has gotten the Hoosiers to play much more consistently this season, and they have won four straight games heading into their regular-season finale at home vs. Maryland.
The Hoosiers get excellent scoring and leadership from senior guard Yogi Ferrell, who is averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game and is averaging 5.5 assists per night. He is capable of leading the Hoosiers on a streak and helping them take over the game.
James Blackmon Jr. (15.8 PPG), Troy Williams (12.6 PPG) and Thomas Bryant (11.7 PPG) are also averaging in double figures for the Hoosiers.
Iowa (20-9, 11-6) has been among the conference's most surprising teams this season. Iowa was at the top of the Big Ten standings for much of the season, but the Hawkeyes are moving in the wrong direction at the worst time of the year. Iowa has lost four games in a row and five of its last six heading into Saturday night's regular-season finale at Michigan.
If the Hawkeyes are going to reverse their current direction and turn things around, they need Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok to lead the way once again. Uthoff is averaging 18.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Jok averages 16 points.
They are the only two Hawkeyes to average in double-figures, and the Hawkeyes lack of balance is among the reasons for their recent problems. If Anthony Clemmons, who is averaging 9.2 points, can pick it up, that could help make the Hawkeyes dangerous again.
Prediction
Based on the talent level of both teams, it seems likely that Michigan State or Indiana has the best chance to win the conference tournament title. The other winning teams in the Big Ten would all seem to have a chance, and Maryland (24-6, 12-5) may be the best of that group.
The Terps are still relatively new to the Big Ten (in their second year of basketball competition), and they could make a huge statement by winning. Melo Trimble is averaging 14.3 points per game and has shown he can take over a game with his scoring and athleticism.
Marc Loving of Ohio State has had a fine season for the Buckeyes, averaging 13.3 points per game. The 6'7", 220-pound junior swing man is a fine catch-and-shoot player who can fill it up when he gets hot. The Buckeyes have won five of their last seven games to close out the regular season.
This tournament should belong to Indiana and Michigan State, and Tom Izzo's Spartans will be the team that cuts down the nets at the end of the competition March 13.
All stats are from BigTen.com or individual team websites.
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