Big Ten Tournament 2023: Men's Semifinals Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket Predictions

The Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers are one win each away from setting up a rivalry clash in the Big Ten tournament final.

A third Purdue-Indiana game in Chicago would be an epic way to end Big Ten play, but first, the two Indiana schools have to fend off a pair of double-digit seeds in Saturday's semifinals.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are trying to win five games in five days to make a surprising run into the NCAA men's basketball tournament, but Purdue stands in the way of a fourth straight win.

Purdue beat Ohio State twice in the regular season, and the second victory came by a 27-point margin.

Indiana takes on the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are attempting to make their second Big Ten tournament final in program history.

While it may seem like the Hoosiers have a more decorated Big Ten tournament history than Penn State, they both have the same number of championship game appearances, and Indiana has never won the event.

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Big Ten Tournament Semifinals Schedule

Ohio State vs. Purdue (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

Penn State vs. Indiana (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Games can be live-streamed on the CBS app and Paramount Plus.

Make your picks: Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge and Tournament Run.

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Prediction

Purdue vs. Indiana

At some point, tired legs will kick in for the 13th-seeded Buckeyes and 10th-seeded Nittany Lions.

The two programs have been on days-long emotional journeys in Chicago, and the freshness of Purdue and Indiana could be too much for them to handle.

Ohio State is on its fourth game in four days. It is one of four teams seeded 14th or worse to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. The Buckeyes are the only member of that group to reach the semifinals.

The achievement by Chris Holtmann's team should be applauded, especially after it beat the Michigan State Spartans without star freshman Brice Sensabaugh.

But there are plenty of reasons why Purdue finished three games in front of everyone else in the regular season.

One of them is the presence of towering big man Zach Edey. Ohio State does not have an answer to Edey in the frontcourt battle.

Edey posted a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double in the 82-55 win over the Buckeyes on February 19.

No other Purdue starter produced a double-digit point tally, so if Fletcher Loyer, Ethan Morton or someone else gets hot alongside Edey, the Buckeyes could be in serious trouble.

Edey, Loyer, Morton and Braden Smith hit double figures in the first win over Ohio State on January 5.

Purdue's guard play has been overshadowed by Edey's dominance, but that group of players can take over a game as well, and that could happen against a tired Ohio State team.

The Buckeyes did not show signs of fatigue against Michigan State, but at some point, the adrenaline will wear off. No team has won five games in five days in the Big Ten tournament.

Penn State's semifinal journey has been more emotional because it entered Chicago firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble. Ohio State can only get into the field of 68 by winning the Big Ten tournament.

Penn State defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats to confirm their spot in the Big Dance and set up the meeting with Indiana.

Indiana won its only game in Chicago by 10 points over the Maryland Terrapins, and it should have the crowd behind it in Saturday's second semifinal.

Mike Woodson's team should have ample motivation to get past an emotionally exhausted Penn State squad.

Indiana lost to Penn State by 19 points on January 11. The program has not been to the Big Ten tournament final since 2001 and is searching for its first-ever Big Ten tournament championship.

Trayce Jackson-Davis and Co. will have an immense amount of pressure on them to deliver the historic program to a position that has been rare for it

Jackson-Davis could be the difference-maker against Penn State as the best frontcourt player on either roster.

Indiana must slow down Penn State's guards, led by Jalen Pickett, and it can follow Northwestern's defensive game plan from Friday night to do so. Northwestern smothered Pickett when he was on the ball and limited him to 15 points.

If the Hoosiers hold Pickett to 15 points or fewer, they should pull away and set up the chance to beat Purdue three times in one season.