Big Ten Tournament 2023: Top Storylines for Men's Round 1 Games

The first round of the Big Ten conference tournament rarely features a bubble team for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, but that is the situation the Wisconsin Badgers are in on Wednesday in Chicago.

They are on the "First Four Out" line in the latest bracket projection from Joe Lunardi of ESPN.

Wisconsin needs to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes to set up the first of what could be many opportunities to land a quality win between now and Sunday.

The other first-round battle between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Minnesota Golden Gophers does not carry the same March Madness intrigue as the opener.

Nebraska will be favored to get through, though. It won five of its last six regular-season games and could be a threat to some of the better teams in the Big Ten in the coming days.

Wisconsin Attempting to Make NCAA Tournament Push

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MADISON, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Max Klesmit #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to drive toward the basket during the second half of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Kohl Center on March 02, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Wisconsin has the opportunity to play its way into the NCAA tournament.

The team started the season 11-2 but struggled to find consistency in Big Ten play, which is a problem a lot of sides in the league had.

The Badgers went 5-5 in their last 10 games, earning some decent wins over the Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State. A win over Minnesota in the regular-season finale was mandatory to stay near the bubble.

Wisconsin probably won't gain much from beating Ohio State, the No. 13 team in the Big Ten, but a victory sets it up for success in the coming days.

The Badgers would meet Iowa in the second round, and they won both regular-season contests with the Hawkeyes this year.

Those results should strum up some positivity within the camp before the team hits the floor on Wednesday.

Ohio State won two of its last three games, but both of those came at home. The Buckeyes had one away win in Big Ten play, so a neutral-site triumph seems unlikely for them.

Wisconsin will be expected to set up what could be a grueling stretch of five games in five days.

The more wins earned by the Badgers in Chicago will make them safer on the bubble, because one victory after Wednesday may not be enough depending on results elsewhere.

Nebraska Looks to Stay Hot Behind Keisei Tominaga

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 07: Keisei Tominaga #30 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers drives to the basket while Dawson Garcia #3 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers defends in the second half of the game at Williams Arena on January 7, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Cornhuskers defeated the Golden Gophers 81-79 in overtime. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Keisei Tominaga of Nebraska has the potential to become one of the early stars of championship week.

The Japanese guard scored 20 or more points in six of the last eight games after opening that sequence with a 30-point performance on February 5 against Penn State.

The 22-year-old's success helped Nebraska go 6-2 in February and March to close out the regular season.

Nebraska should handle a Minnesota team that has just a single win since January 12. The Golden Gophers finished the regular season with only two victories overall in the Big Ten.

Minnesota took Nebraska to overtime in their first meeting on January 7, but the Huskers won by 11 points in Lincoln on February 25.

The second result between the two sides is the likely outcome for Wednesday's matchup. Minnesota fell by nine or more points in six of its eight road games in Big Ten action.

The Golden Gophers won one true road game and one neutral-site contest all season. That does not suggest success will be coming their way.

Nebraska can use the first-round game as a springboard to a potential upset run in Chicago. The Huskers will face the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday if they beat Minnesota.