Big Ten Tournament 2015: Chicago Schedule, Bracket, Storylines to Watch

While not as star-studded as the ACC and SEC, the Big Ten is where folks will want to go if they're hungry for a conference tournament bracket that will be every bit the nail-biting appetizer to the tournament bracket itself.

There's drama at the top. Wisconsin and Maryland are serious threats to any team in the nation, and a pesky Ohio State team isn't that far off from the same status. Underdogs such as Michigan State and any number of others have the talent to run the table and make Selection Sunday all the more difficult, too.

When it comes to conference tournaments, the spectacle at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, is the one to watch. The bracket is available here, although not set in stone just yet as the season winds down Sunday.

Regardless, the top factors to watch in the Windy City rest below.

Big Ten Tournament Schedule

Date	Game	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
March 11	1	No. 13 seed vs. No. 12 seed	4:30 p.m.	ESPN2
March 11	2	No. 14 seed vs. No. 11 seed	7 p.m.	BTN
March 12	3	No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed	12 p.m.	BTN
March 12	4	Game 1 winner vs. No. 5 seed	25 minutes after	BTN
March 12	5	No. 10 seed vs. No. 7 seed	6:30 p.m.	ESPN2
March 12	6	Game 2 winner vs. No. 6 seed	25 minutes after	ESPN2
March 13	7	Game 3 winner vs. No. 1 seed	12 p.m.	ESPN
March 13	8	Game 4 winner vs. No. 4 seed	25 minutes after	ESPN
March 13	9	Game 5 winner vs. No. 2 seed	6:30 p.m.	BTN
March 13	10	Game 6 winner vs. No. 3 seed	25 minutes after	BTN
March 14	11	Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner	1 p.m.	CBS Sports
March 14	12	Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner	25 minutes after	CBS Sports
March 15	13	Championship Game	3:30 p.m.	CBS Sports

Storylines to Watch 

Purdue's Push

USA TODAY Sports

What. A. Run. 

Sometimes desperation breeds elite play when it matters most. That's a personification of the 20-11 Purdue Boilermakers, a team with its back against the wall recently after a pair of consecutive losses.

The definition of a bubble team (ESPN's Joe Lunardi has them as an 11th seed), Matt Painter's squad entered a season-ending contest against Illinois with everything on the line. They sparked a 24-2 run surrounding halftime to take down the opposition and massively help in the pursuit of a spot in the Big Dance.

Sportscaster Dan Dakich put it best:

There's reason to believe the Boilermakers are just getting started.

An offense that averages better than 70 points per game gives plenty of opponents headaches as junior A.J. Hammons creates mismatches beneath the rim on each possession. He leads the team in points (11.5) and rebounds (6.5), his 16 points and 10 boards against Illinois the latest example of how he steps up when the entire team leans on him.

Purdue, already a 12-win team in the conference, is not one to sleep on once things get underway in Chicago.

Michigan State's Potential 

Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

It's double-bye time and a No. 3 seed for the Michigan State Spartans after a thrilling two-point triumph against Indiana to close the season.

While dramatic in a down-to-the-wire sort of way, the victory is a microcosm of the Spartans as a whole—a team that perseveres when it matters most.

Not only was it a late road win against a respectable opponent, but Tom Izzo's team pulled through without senior Branden Dawson, who averages 11.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

After, Izzo's comments said it all, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"

There's no way I make enough money to do this, and I mean that kiddingly. I got overpaid today. I didn't do a very good job. I guess I look at it like I got outcoached, we got outplayed down the stretch. But we've been unlucky a lot this year and maybe luck came to our side for once.

"

Health is the key, as the team won't be able to hang with the best of the best in the conference without Dawson dominating the glass. As Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News muses, though, Michigan State continues to find a way to make things work:

It's a notion that certainly applies to the Ben Ten tournament, too. Right now, the Spartans project as a No. 7, according to ESPN.com, but it's something that may change based on the events in Chicago.

Watch closely to see if the Spartans are healthy—and what damage they can cause while flying somewhat under the radar.

Taking Down Wisconsin

Is Wisconsin invulnerable in Chicago? 

A 27-3 record entering Sunday and 7-2 mark against the RPI Top 50, per ESPN's RPI profile, seem to suggest so. The Badgers secured the Big Ten title in a win against Minnesota, thanks to another titanic effort from Frank Kaminsky, who poured in 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Kaminsky is so impressive, in fact, that he may help the Big Ten to tout the nation's top must-see player during conference tournaments, if a poll taken by SportsCenter is any indication:

There are teams with the potential to take down the Badgers, though.

Ohio State, which ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage (.493) is certainly one, but perhaps most of the focus should go to Maryland.

After all, the Terrapins are winners of six straight, including a 59-53 takedown of the Badgers, in which senior guard Dez Wells exploded for 26 points and seven boards.

A pair of ugly, ugly losses to Ohio State and Iowa seem eons ago at this point, so Maryland joins the laundry list of teams that can upend the Badgers if they find a way to shut down Kaminsky, perhaps the nation's best player.

If it weren't obvious enough, sometimes that is easier said than done.

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.