Big Ten Tournament 2017: Semifinals Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket Predictions

The Big Ten joined the Big 12 as the conferences of chaos in Division I men's college basketball during Championship Week, as No. 1 seed Purdue and No. 3 seed Maryland both lost in the quarterfinal round.

Here's a look at the Big Ten tournament schedule, live-stream information and picks for the semifinal round.

Big Ten Tournament Schedule

Date	Game	Round	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Wednesday, March 8	1	First	No. 13 Penn State 76, No. 12 Nebraska 67 (OT)	4:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Wednesday, March 8	2	First	No. 14 Rutgers 66, No. 11 Ohio State 57	7 p.m.	BTN
Thursday, March 9	3	Second	No. 8 Michigan 75, No. 9 Illinois 55	Noon	BTN
Thursday, March 9	4	Second	No. 5 Michigan State 78, No. 13 Penn State 51	25 minutes after Game 3	BTN
Thursday, March 9	5	Second	No. 10 Indiana 95, No. 7 Iowa 73	6:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Thursday, March 9	6	Second	No. 6 Northwestern 83, No. 14 Rutgers 61	25 minutes after Game 5	ESPN2
Friday, March 10	7	Quarterfinals	No. 8 Michigan 74, No. 1 Purdue 70 (OT)	Noon	ESPN
Friday, March 10	8	Quarterfinals	No. 4 Minnesota 63, No. 5 Michigan State 58	25 minutes after Game 7	ESPN
Friday, March 10	9	Quarterfinals	No. 2 Wisconsin 70, No. 10 Indiana 60	6:30 p.m.	BTN
Friday, March 10	10	Quarterfinals	No. 6 Northwestern 72, No. 3 Maryland 64	25 minutes after Game 9	BTN
Saturday, March 11	11	Semifinals	No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 4 Minnesota	1 p.m.	CBS Sports
Saturday, March 11	12	Semifinals	No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Northwestern	3:30 p.m.	CBS Sports
Sunday, March 12	13	Final	Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner	3 p.m.	CBS Sports

Information via bigten.org. The semifinal and final games will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and be live-streamed on CBSSports.com.

No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 4 Minnesota

The Wolverines have gone 11-5 in their last 16 games after an overtime win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday. Michigan only lost those five games by an average of 4.6 points.

Michigan's depth is proving to be a problem for teams. The top six scorers on the team all average between eight and 15 points per game, with senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. leading the way with 14.7.

Having a deep team can be a big benefit in tournament play. Teams that rely on one or two men to score the bulk of their points falter if that player sits because of foul trouble, gets injured or runs into a slump. However, Michigan can turn to six guys who provide scoring if someone is off on a given night.

The hero against Purdue was junior forward D.J. Wilson, who poured in 26 on 11-of-18 shooting. The hero against Illinois the day before was the three-headed monster of junior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman, senior guard Zak Irvin and Walton, who combined for 54 points in a 75-55 win.

Michigan will put up a great fight against Minnesota in the semifinal round, but the Golden Gophers also have a lot of depth, with seven players averaging at least 20 minutes per game. Those seven share the bulk of the scoring load, with junior guard Nate Mason leading the team with 15.5 points per game.

Minnesota and Michigan played a great game during the regular season, with the Golden Gophers protecting their home court and winning 83-78 in overtime.

This game should have an even smaller deficit, but Minnesota's defense (15th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per the Pomeroy College Basketball rankings) will shine through. It did on Friday, avenging a regular-season sweep against Michigan State by holding the Spartans to just 33 percent field-goal shooting in a 63-58 quarterfinal victory. 

Expect the Minnesota defense to provide a key stop in the last minute in a win over the Wolverines.

Pick: Minnesota

No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Northwestern

Like Michigan, Northwestern seems to have a "team of destiny" air about it, dating back to the latter half of the regular season. It's a subjective feeling, but sometimes the magic is just there, as was the case with the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack (if you haven't seen the ESPN 30 for 30 film Survive and Advance, in which that team's players explain the notion a bit, it is well worth your time).

Northwestern beat Maryland handily on the boards, 32-24, en route to a 72-64 win over the Terps in the quarterfinal round. This followed a big 83-61 second-round victory over Rutgers in which Northwestern, at one point, went on a 31-0 run.

The Wildcats have guaranteed themselves an NCAA tournament bid at this point, which would be the first in school history. Northwestern is looking to win its first Big Ten title as well.

Wisconsin has other ideas. The Badgers led for the last 27 minutes of their 70-60 win over Indiana on Friday, with five players scoring in double figures. They are playing well after a rough late-season stretch in which they won just one of six games.

Since then, the Badgers crushed Minnesota 66-49 before their win against Indiana. Overall, Wisconsin ranks ninth in the Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Senior guard Bronson Koenig gave some insight into the team's mindset:

When these two teams played this season, Wisconsin only shot 38 percent from the field in a 66-59 loss, and Northwestern junior guard Bryant McIntosh, who leads the Wildcats in scoring, poured in 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting.

Expect the Badgers to exact some revenge, shoot a little better from the field and hold McIntosh in check as much as possible in a close win.

Pick: Wisconsin