Big Ten Tournament 2019: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates, Live-Stream Info

Although the Michigan State Spartans are once again the No. 1 seed for the men's Big Ten tournament, there could be several upsets on the horizon.

During the regular season, MSU, Purdue and Michigan stood out as the teams to beat. However, they each dropped a couple of games to unranked opponents in surprising fashion, suggesting the battle for an automatic NCAA tourney berth could be wild.

All 14 Big Ten programs will head to the United Center in Chicago knowing if they win the tournament, they're going dancing.

The action starts Wednesday with the lowest-seed teams, while both Thursday and Friday feature four contests. The semifinals and final follow Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Note: BTN2go will stream tournament games.

Bracket

Wednesday, March 13

First round

Game 1: No. 12 Rutgers vs. No. 13 Nebraska (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
Game 2: No. 11 Illinois vs. No. 14 Northwestern (9 p.m., BTN)

Thursday, March 14

Second round

Game 3: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Indiana (12:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
Game 4: No. 5 Maryland vs. Game 1 winner (3 p.m., BTN)
Game 5: No. 7 Minnesota vs. No. 10 Penn State (7 p.m, BTN)
Game 6: No. 6 Iowa vs. Game 2 winner (9:30 p.m., BTN)

Friday, March 15

Quarterfinals

Game 7: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Game 3 winner (12:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
Game 8: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. Game 4 winner (3 p.m., BTN)
Game 9: No. 2 Purdue vs. Game 5 winner (7 p.m., BTN)
Game 10: No. 3 Michigan vs. Game 6 winner (9:30 p.m., BTN)

Saturday, March 16

Semifinals

Game 11: Friday afternoon winners (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Game 12: Friday evening winners (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Sunday, March 17

Championship

Game 13: Saturday winners (3:30 p.m ET, CBS)

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Two major injuries? No problem.

Michigan State played the last five regular-season games without Joshua Langford and Nick Ward, starters who both averaged 15-plus points. Still, the Spartans finished 4-1 during that stretch to share the Big Ten crown with Purdue.

Junior guard Cassius Winston was an absolute star, posting 10 games of at least 20 points and seven assists. Two of those performances happened in wins against rival Michigan, and those victories ended up being the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed.

Purdue dipped to No. 2 but managed to overcome a significant roster overhaul thanks to Carsen Edwards.

The conference's leading scorer, Edwards has carried a heavy burden. While he's regularly turned in 20-point games this season, the junior shot 33.3 percent or worse in four of the last six contests―and a combined 22.4 mark from three-point range.

Both programs earned their places atop the Big Ten, but the reasons for a potential letdown in Chicago are obvious.

Can Michigan Find More Magic?

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Two seasons ago, the Michigan basketball program underwent a scary moment en route to the Big Ten tournament. While trying to leave an Ann Arbor-area airport, the pilots aborted takeoff and skidded through a chain-link fence past the runway.

One safe flight and four victories later, the Wolverines celebrated a memorable Big Ten tournament title.

Last year, John Beilein's squad trudged to a 5-4 stretch midway through league play and seemed to be limping toward March Madness. But then Michigan ripped off 14 straight wins, winning the conference tourney before reaching the national championship.

How will the 2018-19 story end?

The Wolverines surged to a program-best 20-1 record this season. Since the beginning of February, though, they're just 6-4 with losses to Iowa, Penn State and Michigan State (twice).

Key guard Charles Matthews has missed three straight games because of an ankle injury, and Michigan doesn't have the depth to withstand his absence. But if he's healthy, might the Wolverines conjure up some March magic for the third straight year?

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.