Big Ten Tournament 2023: Men's Quarterfinal Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket Prediction
The 2023 Big Ten basketball tournament is really starting to heat up now. The first two rounds were thrilling enough, and now, the conference's top four seeds are getting into the mix.
The tournament opened on Wednesday, with the Big Ten's bottom four teams playing to move on. Ohio State knocked off Wisconsin, while Minnesota beat Nebraska to see action on Thursday.
The top 10 schools received a first-round bye, while the top four seeds received a double bye. Those top four seeds—Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan State—will make their debuts at the United Center in Chicago on Friday.
The semifinal round will take place on Saturday, with the Big Ten Championship taking place on Sunday.
Iowa won't get to defend its tournament championship, as the Hawkeyes fell to the Buckeyes 73-69 on Thursday. Purdue, last year's runner-up and this year's No. 1 seed, should now be the unquestioned favorite.
Rutgers also pulled the upset on Thursday, beating Michigan 62-50. Penn State upset Illinois 79-76, while Maryland held off Minnesota 70-54.
Let's take a look ahead at Friday's quarterfinals.
Make your picks: Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge and Tournament Run.
Quarterfinals Schedule
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Game 7: No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 9 Rutgers, 12 p.m. ET
Game 8: No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Ohio State, after Game 7
Game 9: No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 10 Penn State, 6:30 p.m. ET
Game 10: No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 6 Maryland, after Game 9
*All games on Big Ten Network, live stream on the Fox Sports App
Purdue Avenges Regular-Season Loss, Buckeyes Run Ends
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Purdue won the Big Ten regular-season title with a 15-5 conference record and a 26-5 overall record. Before stumbling late in the season—going just 5-4 since February 1—the Boilermakers looked like one of the best teams in the country.
Before February, Purdue's only loss came at the hands of Rutgers, and they were ranked No. 1 at the time. The Boilermakers will now have a chance for a little revenge on Friday.
The Scarlet Knights narrowly beat Purdue in a 65-64 contest, but it was still a shock for most basketball fans. Rutgers leaned on its defense and did a good-enough job containing Purdue standout Zach Edey (19 points and 6-of-10 from the field) to remain within striking distance and escape with the upset victory.
After beating Michigan with defense and strong offensive rebounding, Rutgers will carry some momentum into the matchup. Fans should expect another close one, and Rutger's ability to defend the three-point shot—opponents are hitting just 30.3 percent—could be a big factor.
However, the prediction here is that Purdue finds a rhythm, plays stellar defense of its own and scores enough to move on to Saturday.
Can the Buckeyes do the same after rolling Wisconsin and handling No. 5 Iowa over the last two days? They'll certainly carry some confidence into their matchup with Michigan State, but their surprising run is poised to end.
Ohio State had the second-worst conference record in the Big Ten (5-15) for a reason. It's an inconsistent squad that has to get hot in order to compete with the cream of the conference.
The Spartans have been steadier, and they have the talent on both ends of the court to beat the Buckeyes, as they most recently did on March 4. Utilizing a strong defense and superb three-point shooting (40.1 percent), Michigan State will set up a meeting with Purdue.
Prediction: Purdue and Michigan State Advance
Maryland Outlasts Indiana, Faces Northwestern in Semifinal Round
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Indiana is one top-four team that should be on upset alert on Friday. The Hoosiers fared well during the regular season, notching a 12-8 conference record. However, they were defeated convincingly by the Terrapins back on January 31.
Maryland smothered freshman standout Jalen Hood-Schifino in that game, holding him to three points on a 1-of-14 shooting performance. The Terrapins also dominated at the free-throw line, earning a 15-point advantage there.
The Hoosiers struggled mightily against Maryland's stiff defense, scoring just 55 points in an 11-point loss. That was Indiana's second-lowest scoring total of the season, after a 48-point game in a December loss to Rutgers.
Indiana will probably want an up-tempo game on Friday, as Maryland has the edge in a low-scoring defensive matchup. A shootout favors Indiana, though the Terrapins duo of Donta Scott and Jahmir Young (39 combined points in the last meeting) is potent enough to keep pace.
Maryland will win again, but this one will be much closer than January's game.
The Penn State and Northwestern matchup should serve as an exciting start to the evening. The Nittany Lions outlasted the Wildcats on March 1, earning a 68-65 overtime victory.
The rematch could easily go into extra time too. Penn State is riding a three-game winning streak, while Northwestern just ended a three-game skid with a win over Rutgers on Sunday. Based on recent play, the Nittany Lions could be viewed as the better team.
Northwestern will want more of a defensive-oriented game to counter Penn State's more prolific offense (72.4 points per game versus 67.7 PPG) and superior three-point shooting (38.9 percent versus 32.3 percent).
This game could go either way, but the prediction here is that the Wildcats play enough of a complete game to win the rematch. Penn State might be on a bit of a hot streak, but Northwestern went 21-10 in the regular season because it has a very talented and very resilient squad.
Prediction: Northwestern and Maryland Advance
*Statistics from Sports Reference
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