Big Ten Tournament 2017: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions

The Big Ten regular-season standings say that the Purdue Boilermakers were the best team in the conference.

Not only did they win the conference outright, they finished with a two-game advantage over Wisconsin and Maryland and closed the year with a strong road victory over Northwestern.

Logic says that Purdue should also be able to win the conference tournament and go into the NCAA tournament the following week with a head of steam.

However, reeling off three consecutive wins may not be so easy for the 13th-ranked Boilermakers. While the Big Ten does not have a team that is likely to crack the first three seeds in the Big Dance, the conference has seven teams besides the Boilermakers that finished with a winning conference record.

Any one of those teams from Wisconsin through Michigan could come up with a winning effort in the tournament.

The top-seeded Boilermakers are +200 favorites to win the tournament, according to OddsShark, with second-seeded Wisconsin at +260.

Minnesota, the fourth seed in the tournament, follows at +750, followed by Michigan at +800 and third-seeded Maryland at +900.

The Wolverines are the eighth seed in the tournament, but the fact that they are the fourth betting choice indicates the respect the handicappers have for the talent that head coach John Beilein puts on the floor.

Opening Round	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Penn State (13) vs. Nebraska (12)	March 8	4:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Rutgers (14) vs. Ohio State (11)	March 8	7 p.m.	BTN
Second Round
Illinois (9) vs. Michigan (8)	March 9	12 noon	BTN
Penn State-Nebraska winner vs. Michigan State (5)	March 9	2:45 p.m. (appx.)	BTN
Indiana (10) vs. Iowa (7)	March 9	6:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Rutgers-Ohio State vs. Northwestern (6)	March 9	9:15 p.m. (appx.)	ESPN2
Quarterfinals
Illinois-Michigan winner vs. Purdue (1)	March 10	12 noon	ESPN
TBD vs. Minnesota (4)	March 10	2:45 p.m. (appx.)	ESPN
Indiana-Iowa winner vs. Wisconsin (2)	March 10	6:30 p.m.	BTN
TBD vs. Maryland (3)	March 10	9:15 p.m. (appx.)	BTN
Semifinals
TBD vs. TBD	March 11	1 p.m.	CBS
TBD vs. TBD	March 11	3:30 p.m.	CBS
Championship Round
TBD vs. TBD	March 12	3 p.m.	CBS

The tournament gets underway March 8 and will be played at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. for the first time. The Big Ten tournament had been held in Chicago or Indianapolis throughout its history, but the addition of east coast members Maryland and Rutgers means that the Midwest-based league is adding some eastern venues for its big events from time to time. 

Next year's conference tournament will be held in New York City.

The first day of the tournament will match 12th-seeded Nebraska with 13th-seeded Penn State and 11th-seeded Ohio State with 14th-seeded Rutgers.

The best second-round match on March 9 appears to be the matchup between Michigan and No. 9 seed Illinois. The Illini stumbled in their last regular-season game at Rutgers, but John Groce's team beat impressive Northwestern twice this year.

The sixth-seeded Wildcats should be able to handle the Ohio State-Rutgers winner, and that would allow them to move onto a quarterfinal matchup with Maryland.

With the tournament in its backyard, Maryland should have a sizable home-court advantage throughout the event. The Terps are led by Melo Trimble, and it would not be a surprise to see Maryland get to the championship game.

If Maryland beats Northwestern, a matchup with Wisconsin looms, and the Badgers did not play their best basketball down the stretch. While Wisconsin hammered Minnesota 66-49 in the regular-season finale, it lost five of its previous six games.

The Boilermakers are led by Big Ten Player of the Year Caleb Swanigan, who recorded 25 double-doubles this season. His ability to dominate on both ends of the court should put the Boilermakers in a position to reach the championship game.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Predictions:

Look for Purdue to dominate the top side of the bracket, although a red-hot Minnesota Golden Gophers could give them a very tough matchup in the semifinal round. Minnesota will probably be able to stay in the game into the second half, but Purdue will pull away in the last 10 minutes.

Maryland has played well in the Big Ten tournament since entering the league in 2014, but it has not won. The Terps should be primed to play their best basketball in Washington D.C. We see them beating Northwestern and Wisconsin to reach the championship game.

Purdue will be favored, but the Terps will not back down, and Trimble's ability to execute down the stretch will help Maryland capture the Big Ten tournament.