Big Ten Tournament 2012 Schedule and Bracket: Games Featuring Top NBA Prospects

In major conferences, season-ending tournaments mean nothing.

They make money—that’s about it. But at least for pro prospects, the Big Dance warmups are another opportunity to showcase their skills. Here are the top Big Ten tournament matchups to watch that will feature the most NBA Draft prospects.

4. Ohio State vs. Purdue

Yeah, Ohio State is going to dominate this list. Why? Because of Jared Sullinger and William Buford.

In this matchup, OSU’s pair of stars will battle the Boilermakers’ Robbie Hummel. The 6’8” senior forward is averaging 16.8 points and seven boards this season for Purdue.

When They’d Face Off: Friday, March 9th, 25 minutes after 6:30 p.m. EST game concludes

3. Michigan State vs. Indiana

Cody Zeller of Indiana is talented enough to be a lottery pick in this year’s draft, but he’s expected to wait until 2013 to declare, and wisely so. 2012 is being labeled the deepest class since 2003 and the Spartans’ Draymond Green is a part of it. 

Green isn’t a great athlete, but he’s a baller. His averages of 16.2 points, 10.3 boards and 3.5 assists are impressive enough, but his Einstein-like basketball IQ is invaluable.

When They’d Face Off: Saturday, March 10th at 1:40 p.m. EST

2. Ohio State vs. Michigan

Assuming the Buckeyes advance, the next challenge in their way would be the Wolverines’ Tim Hardaway Jr. The 6’6”, 185-pound Hardaway isn’t as talented as Penny, but he still put up 14.5 points a game as a sophomore this season.

Sullinger and Buford, though, will be too talented to slow down. They form one of the most productive duos in the nation, as Sullinger averages 16.9 points a game while Buford drops 15.1 per.

When They’d Face Off: Saturday, March 10th, 25 minutes after 1:40 p.m. EST game concludes

1. Ohio State vs. Indiana

The Hoosiers would have to pull off a couple of upsets to make this game happen. But if they do, a pair of repeats on the list would face off in a must-watch matchup of future top-10 selections.

Sullinger would’ve been a top-four lock last year if he would’ve declared. 

When They’d Face Off: Sunday, March 11^th at 3:30 p.m. EST

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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