Big Ten Tournament 2016: Bracket Predictions Before Final Regular-Season Games

The Indiana Hoosiers have locked up the No. 1 seed in the 2016 Big Ten tournament next week, but it's far from a guarantee they'll walk away with the title.

It's been a tight battle between the 14 teams (save for the winless Rutgers Scarlet Knights), and projected seeds for the tournament have the eighth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes just two games behind the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers.

Let's take a deeper look at the tournament details, including a few predictions for the five-day event:

What: 2016 Big Ten Tournament

When: March 9-13

Where: Indianapolis (Bankers Life Fieldhouse)

Last year's champion: Wisconsin Badgers

Wednesday, March 9	First Round
Thursday, March 10	Second Round
Friday, March 11	Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 12	Semifinals
Sunday, March 13	Finals
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 12 Illinois vs. No. 13 Minnesota+	4:30 p.m.	ESPN2	Illinois
No. 11 Nebraska vs. No. 14 Rutgers+	7 p.m.	Big Ten Newtork	Nebraska
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Northwestern	Noon	Big Ten Newtork	Iowa
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Illinois	2:30 p.m.*	Big Ten Newtork	Wisconsin
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Penn State	6:30 p.m.	ESPN2	Michigan
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Nebraska	9 p.m.*	ESPN2	Ohio State
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 1 Indiana+ vs. No. 8 Iowa	Noon	ESPN	Indiana
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 5 Wisconsin	2:30 p.m.*	ESPN	Wisconsin
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 7 Michigan	6:30 p.m.	Big Ten Newtork	Michigan State
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 6 Ohio State	9 p.m.*	Big Ten Newtork	Purdue
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Wisconsin	1 p.m.	CBS Sports	Indiana
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Purdue	3:30 p.m.	CBS Sports	Michigan State
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 2 Michigan State	3 p.m.	CBS Sports	Michigan State

The Hoosiers are the top seed, but the pick here is Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans.

Izzo's team was ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll but worked its way to No. 1 after five weeks and a 9-0 start that included a win over the then-No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks.

An injury to their best player, senior Denzel Valentine, cost the Spartans their first loss of the season. Averaging 19.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, he is a surefire Wooden Award top candidate. 

The Spartans lost three of four after Valentine returned; however, they have rebounded with wins in nine of their past 10 games.

Michigan State has a great shot at winning not only the Big Ten tournament but a national title as well. The team relies on three seniors, all of whom are above-average players, according to former Michigan State and Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson:

The Hoosiers don't have as much senior leadership, but they do have point guard Yogi Ferrell. He leads the team in points (17.1), assists (5.5) and steals (1.2) per game. Following a solid freshman season, he has remained consistent the past three years, averaging between 16.3 and 17.3 points and 3.9 and 5.5 assists per contest.

ESPN's Andy Katz said Ferrell should be considered for the All-American first team, along with Valentine.

Ferrell showed with this clutch shot on Tuesday in a win over the Iowa Hawkeyes that he isn't planning on backing down from any challenge, via Indiana on BTN:

It would be great to see the two future Big Ten legends compete against each other in one final conference game. There are other teams that could compete for the championship, including Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland and even Iowa, but the top two projected seeds are playing better than any team in the conference right now, and there is no reason to think they won't end up in the finals.

Prediction

It should be a classic, physical Big Ten matchup, as Indiana leads the conference in rebounding margin and Michigan State is third. 

Experience also will be a big factor in the two teams making the finals, with all of the seniors on the floor wanting to go out as winners.

When the final buzzer sounds, the trio of Valentine, Matt Costello and Bryn Forbes, coupled with the future Hall of Fame coach in Izzo, will be too much for a talented, but slightly overmatched, Indiana team.

It won't be another 19-point beatdown like Michigan State handed the Hoosiers on Feb. 14, but look for Valentine to have the ball in his hands on the final possession and knock down the game-winning shot in the waning seconds.

Predicted score: Michigan State 74, Indiana 72