Big Ten Tournament 2024: Schedule and Men's Conference Bracket Predictions

There will be more than bragging rights on the line when the men's Big Ten Tournament tips off next week in Minneapolis.

Teams also have a chance to secure a spot or improve their standing for the upcoming men's NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Four conference schools were listed as being on the bubble by USA Today's Jordan Mendoza. Three teams made the cut for Mendoza: Michigan State (as a No. 9 seed), Northwestern (No. 10) and Nebraska (No. 11). The fourth, Iowa, fell into his next four out section of tournament omissions.

The stakes are sky-high for several schools, in other words, so this tournament could be a thriller from start to finish. Let's dig into the event by laying out the scheduling information, projecting the final standings and predicting which team will emerge victorious.

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Big Ten Tournament Schedule

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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - FEBRUARY 25: Keisei Tominaga #30 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers drives against Dawson Garcia #3 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena on February 25, 2024 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Wednesday, March 13

Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed, 5:30 p.m. CT

Game 2: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed, 25 minutes after Game 1

Thursday, March 14

Game 3: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, 11 a.m. CT

Game 4: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 25 minutes after Game 3

Game 5: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 5:30 p.m. CT

Game 6: No. 6 seed vs. Game 2 winner, 25 minutes after Game 5

Friday, March 15

Game 7: No. 1 seed vs. Game 3 winner, 11 a.m. CT

Game 8: No. 4 seed vs. Game 4 winner, 25 minutes after Game 7

Game 9: No. 2 seed vs. Game 5 winner, 5:30 p.m. CT

Game 10: No. 3 seed vs. Game 6 winner, 25 minutes after Game 9

Saturday, March 16

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, Noon CT

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 25 minutes after Game 11

Sunday, March 17

Championship, 2:30 p.m. CT

Predicted Standings

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CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - MARCH 05: Terrence Shannon Jr. #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini goes to the basket while defended by Braden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers xd1 at State Farm Center on March 05, 2024 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

1. Purdue

2. Illinois

3. Nebraska

4. Northwestern

5. Wisconsin

6. Michigan State

7. Iowa

8. Penn State

9. Minnesota

10. Indiana

11. Ohio State

12. Rutgers

13. Maryland

14. Michigan

Who Comes out on Top?

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - MARCH 02: Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) give center Zach Edey (15) a chest bump during a game against the Michigan State Spartans on March 2, 2024, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

If you're looking for the madness of March, sorry, but you won't find it here.

As boring as it is to go with chalk, accuracy trumps boldness when it comes to predictions. And when looking at this tournament field, it's hard to picture anyone stopping Purdue.

This conference has proved all season it has no answer for star center Zach Edey, who could soon collect his second consecutive Naismith Men's College Player of the Year award. He leads the Big Ten in points (24.1), rebounds (11.7) and field-goal percentage (62.3) while ranking third in blocks (2.2). He's as dynamic as players get in this conference—if not the entire world of men's college hoops.

And he's not alone. Purdue's offense, which ranks second in efficiency at KenPom, features three other double-digit scorers in guards Braden Smith (13.1), Lance Jones (12.4) and Fletcher Loyer (10.5). Oh, and the defense is the nation's 20th-best, too.

Few teams have a resume as rich as Purdue's, and those that do don't reside in this conference. The top-seeded Boilermakers will look the part and win this tournament.