Big Ten Tournament Bracket 2010: Game-By-Game Predictions

When the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament tips off Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis, eleven teams will be trying to win it all and secure an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Wondering how the games will turn out and which university will come out on top when the dust has settled?

Well, you're in luck. This slideshow predicts the outcome in each of the ten games to be played in this week's Big Ten Tournament.

Of the ten predictions, a few may even turn out correct!

Without further ado...

Game 1 Prediction: (8) Michigan 70, (9) Iowa 65

The Michigan Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes will meet in a Big Ten tournament first-round game for the third consecutive season, and once again, the inside-outside combination of DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris should prove too much for the Hawkeyes.

In last year's meeting, Sims scored his team's first 14 points en route to a 27-point outburst as the Wolverines rolled, 73-45.

This week's rematch should be a bit closer, but it's hard to see an Iowa ballclub that's dropped nine of its last eleven games (including home and away losses to the Wolverines) pulling the first-round upset.

Michigan takes it by five, 70-65.

Game 2 Prediction: (10) Indiana 63, (7) Northwestern 62

Indiana and Northwestern will be facing off for the second time in six days, and just like last week in Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers should escape with a nail-biter win.

Indiana snapped an eleven-game losing streak by knocking off the Wildcats in Bloomington, and the confidence they took from that much-needed victory (along with a sure-to-be-partisan crowd in the Hoosier State) will propel the Cream and Crimson past a fading Northwestern ballclub that's dropped four of its last five conference games to fall out of NCAA contention for what seems like the 242nd straight year.

Hoosiers take it, 63-62.

Game 3 Prediction: (6) Minnesota 61, (11) Penn State 52

While the Penn State Nittany Lions, playing their best basketball of the conference season after starting 0-12 in Big Ten play, seem to be a popular sleeper pick, they will simply be outmatched by Tubby Smith's talented Gophers squad in the final game of the Thursday slate.

The Lions don't have an answer inside for Minnesota's twin towers, Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson, and the focus down low should let Gopher sharpshooter Blake Hoffarber (who hit one of the most memorable shots in tournament history to shock Indiana in a 2008 quarterfinal) show off his incredible stroke from the perimeter as the evening wears on.

Final score: Minnesota 61, Talor Battle...err...Penn State 52.

Game 4 Prediction: (1) Ohio State 72, (8) Michigan 55

Question: What happens when a one-sided gridiron rivalry hits the hardwood?

Answer: A one-sided hardwood rivalry.

Ohio State enters the tournament red-hot, winners of ten of its last eleven games, and with sights set on a top seed in the NCAA tournament.

Michigan comes into Indianapolis as the Big Ten's most disappointing squad, and after snagging a first-round victory in the 8-9 matchup, will ultimately leave with tail between its legs after running into the Buckeyes buzz saw.

Look for William Buford and Jon Diebler to pick up the slack as opponents try to key in on OSU superstar Evan Turner. Either player is capable of dropping 20 on the Wolverines, especially if UM falls in love with its zone too early.

Buckeyes in a runaway, 72-55.

Game 5 Prediction: (5) Illinois 53, (4) Wisconsin 49

The Badgers and the Illini are familiar foes, having met in the regular-season finale (a 72-57 Wisconsin victory).

Well...revenge is sweet.

Illinois needs a victory (and probably several) to have any shot at March Madness, while Wisconsin, riding a four-game winning streak, is due for an upset and won't play with nearly as much urgency (having already done enough to earn an NCAA invite).

All-Big Ten performer Demetri McCamey posts one of the biggest double-doubles of his career with 18 points and 10 assists as the Illini surprise Wisconsin.

First team to 50 wins, and this time, that's Illinois. Call it 53-49.

Game 6 Prediction: (2) Purdue 66, (10) Indiana 62

There's no such thing as an easy victory for the Robbie Hummel-less Purdue Boilermakers, and Friday's potential showdown with in-state rival Indiana will prove that.

Ultimately, the Boilers prevail in a game much closer than anyone expected, clamping down defensively after intermission to finish off the Hoosiers.

Look for a big game from E'Twaun Moore, who has struggled offensively since Hummel went down. The Boilers' leading scorer has converted less than 33% of his field goal attempts in Purdue's last four games, despite hitting at a 47 percent clip for the season.

Moore drains four or five triples and hits all the big free throws late, providing just enough offense for the Boilers in a 66-62 thriller.

Game 7 Prediction: (3) Michigan State 69, (6) Minnesota 59

Michigan State sent the Gophers home in a quarterfinal last year, and the Spartans should take care of business once again in 2010, despite the absence of sharpshooting guard Chris Allen.

With Allen suspended indefinitely, MSU will look to Raymar Morgan to help All-Big Ten standout Kalin Lucas carry the load offensively. Morgan is coming off a monster game against Michigan Sunday, and Coach Tom Izzo would love to get another 22 points and 10 rebounds from his senior forward.

Raymar and the Spartans advance, 69-59.

Game 8 Prediction: (1) Ohio State 65, (5) Illinois 63

Illinois has plenty of tournament experience, as the Illini have made it to the semifinals or beyond the past three seasons, but when it's all said and done, Bruce Weber's club ultimately can't slow down the high-powered Ohio State attack in a back-and-forth battle.

David Lighty's defense proves key for the Buckeyes, as they advance back to the tournament championship game after dropping a heartbreaker to Purdue in the 2009 final.

Ohio State wins an instant classic, 65-63.

Game 9 Prediction: (2) Purdue 51, (3) Michigan State 50

In a mild surprise, the Boilers use a spirited "home crowd" and a dominating performance from big man JaJuan Johnson to outlast Michigan State by a single point.

Purdue atones for one of its worst performances of the season, a 53-44 home defeat to the Spartans in their first full game without Robbie Hummel.

This time around, the Boilers don't necessarily shoot much better (Purdue was only 30 percent from the floor against MSU at Mackey), but Johnson's 18 points and 14 boards are enough to set up a championship rematch with Ohio State on Sunday.

Boilers by the thinnest of margins, 51-50.

Game 10 Prediction: (1) Ohio State 74, (2) Purdue 67

Three hundred sixty-four days after Purdue captured its first Big Ten Tournament championship by defeating Ohio State, the Boilers and Buckeyes square off in another Big Ten Tournament championship game.

This time, there's simply too much Evan Turner.

Turner takes over at crunch time, using a constant diet of pick-and-roll to elude the Boilers' defense-by-committee (most notably Lewis Jackson and Keaton Grant), finishing with 34 points in an Ohio State victory.

The win sews up National Player of the Year honors for Turner, ensures a No. 1 seed for the Buckeyes in next week's NCAA tournament, and thrills color commentator (and former OSU standout) Clark Kellogg beyond words.

Ohio State takes the trophy, 74-67.