Big Ten Tournament 2015: TV Info, Teams, Odds and Championship Predictions

Frank Kaminsky and the Wisconsin Badgers lead the Big Ten into a new five-day format at Chicago's United Center in what may turn out to be one of the most underrated tournaments of March.

Want a dominant team that hopes to make a push for a top seed in the Big Dance? That would be Kaminsky and the Badgers.

How about an underdog that can pull off multiple upsets while on the bubble? Purdue says hello.

How about a legendary program with plenty to lose? Michigan State waves from the No. 3 seed.

The bracket truly has it all, par for the course for a tournament that hopes to send a number of contenders to the madness.

National powerhouses, star individuals and top-tier coaches rule the headlines beginning Wednesday, so be sure to brush up on the action ahead.

2015 Big Ten Tournament Schedule and TV Info

Date	Time (ET)	Game	TV
March 11	4:30 p.m.	Game 1: No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 12 Nebraska	ESPN2
March 11	7 p.m.	Game 2: No. 14 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Minnesota	BTN
March 12	12 p.m.	Game 3: No. 9 Michigan vs. No. 8 Illinois	BTN
March 12	2:30 p.m.	Game 4: No. 5 Iowa vs. Game 1 winner	BTN
March 12	6:30 p.m.	Game 5: No. 10 Northwestern vs. No. 7 Indiana	ESPN2
March 12	9 p.m.	Game 6: No. 6 Ohio State vs. Game 2 winner	ESPN2
March 13	12 p.m.	Game 7: No. 1 Wisconsin vs. Game 3 winner	ESPN
March 13	2:30 p.m.	Game 8: No. 4 Purdue vs. Game 4 winner	ESPN
March 13	6:30 p.m.	Game 9: No. 2 Maryland vs. Game 5 winner	BTN
March 13	9 p.m.	Game 10: No. 3 Michigan State vs. Game 6 winner	BTN
March 14	1 p.m.	Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner	CBS
March 14	3:30 p.m.	Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner	CBS
March 15	3:30 p.m.	Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner	CBS

Big Ten Tournament Odds

Team	Odds
Wisconsin	2-1
Maryland	5-1
Ohio State	10-1
Michigan State	12-1
Iowa	16-1
Purdue	16-1
Indiana	20-1
Illinois	40-1
Michigan	50-1
Minnesota	50-1
Northwestern	100-1
Nebraska	100-1
Penn State	100-1
Rutgers	100-1

Note: Tournament odds were devised by the author.

Preview and Prediction

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Looking at the bracket, it's hard to see where the potential winner comes from, as even Wednesday's affairs tout a few interesting teams. 

The Big Ten Network illustrates the lay of the land:

Things intensify Thursday, though.

There, Indiana enters the fray. Sure, the Hoosiers are 19-12, no longer ranked and just 3-4 against the RPI Top 25, per ESPN's RPI Profile. To make things even more dramatic, they are losers of three straight.

Still, it's hard to count out a team led by junior Yogi Ferrell (16.0 points per game), and Indiana has proven with wins over Ohio State and Maryland that it is not a team to underestimate.

Speaking of Maryland, that's the team Indiana figures to advance and encounter.

Bad news for the Hoosiers is that Mark Turgeon's team is playing the absolute best ball of its season and that 19-point loss to Indiana back in January seems eons ago. Maryland has won seven in a row, including a shocking 59-53 upset of the Badgers near the end of February.

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In that game, Dez Wells exploded for 26 points while the Terrapins tied the Badgers on the glass with 31 boards.

"We've been in so many close games, we'd have just kept doing what we do," Turgeon said, per ESPN.com. "Our guys were really determined tonight, starting with Dez Wells."

Michigan State is another contender to watch. Tom Izzo and the Spartans are a humiliating 0-6 against the RPI Top 25 this season, but when star big man Branden Dawson (11.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game) is healthy, the Spartans can play with any team in the conference.

Using Wisconsin as a measuring stick once again, the Spartans lost to the Badgers on the road recently by just seven points, while Dawson managed only 21 minutes. If that changes in a potential rematch, the outcome might too.

Then again, there's always a big "if" when it comes to taking down Wisconsin. Purdue has one of those moments on record as well, as a 62-55 loss to the Badgers in January saw star center A.J. Hammons struggle in 23 minutes of play.

Most times, Hammons is a matchup nightmare and a big reason the Boilermakers are 4-5 against the RPI Top 50, but even he struggles in the paint with Kaminsky.

The Buckeyes don't want to hear anything about those struggles, though. The Badgers laughed Thad Matta and Co. off their home court in Columbus to close the season. Not only did the Buckeyes shoot 34 percent from the field to Wisconsin's 50 percent, but the Badgers dominated the glass in 41-27 fashion in the 72-48 public dissection.

This all comes back to the Badgers. They're not Kentucky-level dominant over the Big Ten as the Wildcats are over the SEC, but it's pretty close.

Fresh off a Final Four appearance, the Badgers lost all of three games this year on the road to a Big Ten title. There have been hiccups such as the aforementioned Maryland loss, but by most accounts, it has been smooth sailing.

Touting perhaps the nation's top player helps. Kaminsky shoots 56 percent from the floor and averages 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists, and he is a major reason the Badgers rank 22nd in the nation in field goal percentage (.480).

As recent comments by coach Bo Ryan demonstrate, via Benjamin Worgull of Scout.com, the best may be yet to come:

That's a scary thought for the rest of the bracket.

When it comes time to make a prediction and nail down odds, it's hard to discredit the Badgers. It'd be one thing if the team ended the season on a sour note. Instead, they went on a three-game tear to close the season and took down an Ohio State team with a Naismith Player of the Year contender (D'Angelo Russell) in brutal fashion.

The Badgers are too hot heading into Chicago, something the rest of the conference is about to find out.

Prediction: Wisconsin wins Big Ten tournament.

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.