Big Ten Tournament 2012 Schedule: Picks for Today's Matchups with Tipoff Time

With Selection Sunday only four days away, it’s crunch time for NCAA men’s basketball teams.

Today the Big Ten, arguably the nation’s best conference top to bottom, gets its tournament underway as eighth-seeded Iowa leads things off against ninth-seeded Illinois from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Here is a breakdown of the rest of the first-round games that get underway today, along with start times and TV schedule.

Game 1: No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Illinois, 11:30 a.m. ET (BTN)

The No. 8 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (16-15, 8-10) come into the game after a mixed season. Wins over Big Ten favorites Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana make them an outside threat to pull off the upset. But losses to the lower seeds show the up-and-down year they've had.

Paced by Matt Gatens' 15.7 points per game, the Hawkeyes will need the senior to be in fine form in a conference where defense reigns. His 42.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc makes him a real threat, and should he meet that average, expect a deep run.

The Fighting Illini (17-14, 6-12) come into the tournament on a horrible stretch, losing 11 of their last 13 and putting head coach Bruce Weber on the hot seat.

Junior Brandon Paul and sophomore Meyers Leonard have combined to average 28.4 points on the year and are both poised to have a breakout game.

While Illinois may not have won much the past few weeks, one of its wins was against Iowa about two weeks ago. Expect the same result today as the Fighting Illini pull out the win to face Michigan State tomorrow.

Game 2: No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Penn State, 1:55 p.m. ET (BTN)

It started as a breakout year for the Hoosiers (24-7, 11-7), as wins over No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 13 Michigan had them at No. 7 in the country, their highest ranking in decades. However, head coach Tom Crean and his boys fell off somewhat as they got deeper into conference play.

Star forward Cody Zeller has been nothing short of exceptional all season, earning Freshman of the Year honors earlier this week.

Penn State (12-19, 4-14) had a progressive year, although its record was not indicative of the strides they made. The football-first campus was certainly competitive this year on the hard court playing close to some of the conference's best.

Ultimately, I expect Indiana to find its groove again and possibly even take the tournament. It all starts today with a Hoosier rout over the Nittany Lions.

Game 3: No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 10 Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

The Northwestern Wildcats (18-12, 8-10) will look to end their long-suffering stigma of being the only BCS school to never make the NCAA tournament. This season could end that streak.

John Shurna has been great this year for the Wildcats from behind the arc, shooting 46.8 percent. The senior leads the team in scoring with 19.8 points per game.

Minnesota (18-13, 6-12) has been the typical bottom-feeder school we all expect it to be in basketball. With only one upset win over Indiana on the road, there is not much for the Gophers to be excited for.

Northwestern has its best chance ever to make the tournament this season. Even without winning the conference, it could still could get an at-large bid should it beat Minnesota. I expect that to be enough motivation for the Wildcats to come out on top in a close one.

Game 4: No. 6 Purdue vs. No. 11 Nebraska, 7:55 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Purdue (20-11, 10-8) has not had the year it may have hoped for, but has played decently well. Despite few wins of note, the Boilermakers had a balanced season by avoiding any real upsets.

Senior forward Robbie Hummel has been the leader, netting 16.8 per game along with 7.0 boards.

The Cornhuskers (12-17, 4-14) are getting their first look at Big Ten basketball this season, and it has been an eye-opener. Coming from the Big 12, they were used to facing powerhouses in Kansas and Texas, but every game has been a struggle as there is not really a weak team in their new home.

Senior Bo Spencer is their only hope of pulling off an upset. He averages 15.1 points per game and is their biggest threat.

Nebraska does not look to have much hope on paper, but the prime-time game could get it energized enough to pull off the impossible. I see the Cornhuskers taking out the Boilermakers in today’s only upset.