Big Ten Tournament 2019: Chicago Schedule, Bracket, Storylines to Watch

The Big Ten Conference wrapped up its regular-season slate on Sunday, which means the bracket is now set for the annual Big Ten tournament.

This year's conference showdown will be played at the United Center in Chicago. Things get started on Wednesday with the two play-in games, with play continuing throughout the week leading up to the championship game on Sunday.

Ahead you'll find the full tournament bracket, relevant scheduling and TV information, and a few notable storylines to watch.

Bracket

Big Ten Tournament Schedule (All Times ET)

Wednesday, March 13

Game 1: No. 12 Rutgers vs. No. 13 Nebraska (6:30 p.m., BTN)

Game 2: No. 11 Illinois vs. No. 14 Northwestern (9 p.m., BTN)

Thursday, March 14

Game 3: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Indiana (12:30 p.m., BTN)

Game 4: No. 5 Maryland vs. Game 1 winner (25 min after Game 3, BTN)

Game 5: No. 7 Minnesota vs. No. 10 Penn State (7 p.m., BTN)

Game 6: No. 6 Iowa vs. Game 2 winner (25 min after Game 5, BTN)

Friday, March 15

Game 7: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Game 3 winner (12:30 pm., BTN)

Game 8: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. Game 4 winner (25 min after Game 7, BTN)

Game 9: No. 2 Purdue vs. Game 5 winner (7 p.m., BTN)

Game 10: No. 3 Michigan vs. Game 6 winner (25 min after Game 9, BTN)

Saturday, March 16 (Semifinals)

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (1 p.m., CBS)

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Sunday, March 17 (Championship Game)

Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Storylines to Watch

Bubble Teams: Minnesota, Ohio State and Indiana

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland and Iowa are all locks to be part of the 68-team NCAA tournament field, regardless of their performance in the Big Ten tournament.

That said, the conference could wind up with as many as nine representatives, depending on how the bubble plays out.

Minnesota, Ohio State and Indiana are all part of the bubble conversation.

The Golden Gophers are projected for a No. 10 seed in the latest Bracket Matrix. Led by senior double-double machine Jordan Murphy, they sit at No. 56 in the NET rankings and have quality wins over Washington, Wisconsin and Iowa.

The Buckeyes had a chance to improve their stock in the regular-season finale on Sunday but fell to Wisconsin in overtime. They're currently projected for a No. 11 seed and check in at No. 52 in the NET rankings. Nonconference road wins against Cincinnati and Creighton, along with a home win over Minnesota, highlight their resume.

The Hoosiers are on the outside looking in right now as one of the First Four Out in the Bracket Matrix. With a solid No. 55 NET spot and wins against Michigan State, Marquette and Louisville, they've proved they can beat anyone. They also have some bad losses on the books, though, and played a weak nonconference schedule overall.

All three of these teams will need to perform well in the Big Ten tournament if they hope to punch their ticket to March Madness.

Can Michigan State Still Grab a No. 1 Seed?

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

With a win against No. 7 Michigan on Saturday, Michigan State secured a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with Purdue.

The Spartans will now undoubtedly move up from their spot at No. 9 in the AP poll, and entering the conference tournament, they look like the one Big Ten team with an outside shot at a No. 1 seed.

The latest Bracket Matrix has them as a No. 2 seed behind Virginia, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and Tennessee.

With Virginia, North Carolina and Duke all sharing the ACC conference and both Kentucky and Tennessee coming out of the SEC, at least three of those teams are going to lose again before the season is over.

If the Spartans can run the table and win the Big Ten tournament, would that be enough for them to jump up to a No. 1 seed?

It's not completely out of the question.

Dark Horse to Watch: Penn State

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Penn State finished 7-13 in conference play and 14-17 overall during the regular season.

That record doesn't tell the whole story.

After an 0-10 start to the conference slate, they went 7-3 to close out the season, including wins over Michigan (No. 6 in the AP poll at the time) and Maryland (No. 17 in the AP poll at the time).

With a win over Illinois on Sunday, the Nittany Lions avoided having to take part in one of the play-in games on Wednesday.

They still face a tall task in their pursuit of the tournament title and its accompanying automatic bid, but if there's a surprise team capable of running through the field, it's this upstart Penn State squad.