Big Ten Tournament 2020: Bracket, Schedule and Championship Odds

With a lot of talented teams throughout the conference this season, the Big Ten has a strong chance of having one of its schools go on to win the national championship in March Madness this year.

But first, the Big Ten must crown its own tournament champion.

On Sunday, the regular season came to an end, and with Michigan State and Maryland both winning, it created a three-way tie at the top of the Big Ten standings with Wisconsin, which secured the No. 1 seed for the tournament in a tiebreaker.

All 14 teams in the conference will participate in the tournament, which awards an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament to the winner, although the top four seeds don't have to play until the quarterfinals.

Here's everything you need to know about this year's Big Ten Tournament, which begins Wednesday.

Tournament Schedule

All times ET

Wednesday, March 11

First Round

Game 1: No. 12 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Northwestern (6 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Game 2: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 14 Nebraska (25 minutes after Game 1, Big Ten Network)

Thursday, March 12

Second Round

Game 3: No. 8 Rutgers vs. No. 9 Michigan (noon, Big Ten Network)

Game 4: No. 5 Iowa vs. Game 1 winner (25 minutes after Game 3, Big Ten Network)

Game 5: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Purdue (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Game 6: No. 6 Penn State vs. Game 2 winner (25 minutes after Game 5, Big Ten Network)

Friday, March 13

Quarterfinals

Game 7: No. 1 Wisconsin vs. Game 3 winner (noon, Big Ten Network)

Game 8: No. 4 Illinois vs. Game 4 winner (25 minutes after Game 7, Big Ten Network)

Game 9: No. 2 Michigan State vs. Game 5 winner (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Game 10: No. 3 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner (25 minutes after Game 9, Big Ten Network)

Saturday, March 14

Semifinals

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

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (25 minutes after Game 11, CBS)

Sunday, March 15

Championship

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

Tournament Odds

No. 2 Michigan State +300 (bet $100 to win $300)

No. 3 Maryland +350

No. 9 Michigan +500

No. 7 Ohio State +600

No. 5 Iowa +800

No. 4 Illinois +1000

No. 8 Rutgers +1200

No. 1 Wisconsin +1200

No. 6 Penn State +1400

No. 10 Purdue +2000

No. 11 Indiana +4000

No. 12 Minnesota +4000

No. 13 Northwestern +15000

No. 14 Nebraska +150000

Odds courtesy of BetOnline.ag (h/t Sports Betting Dime)

Although Wisconsin came away with the No. 1 seed in the tournament, the early odds are favoring Michigan State and Maryland, which shared the Big Ten regular-season championship with the Badgers as all three teams finished with 14-6 records in conference play.

The Spartans are on a roll entering the postseason, as they've won six of their last seven games. Their last four victories have all come against ranked opponents, with them taking down Iowa, Maryland, Penn State and Ohio State.

This marked the third straight year that Michigan State has won at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship. It's also won the conference tournament title four times since 2012, including last year.

"It's the third year in a row that we're playing here for a championship," Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "And there is nothing in the entire world I like more than hanging banners."

Michigan State has won the Big Ten Tournament six times, more than any other team in the conference. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Spartans carry on their late-season momentum and add another this year.

Maryland has never won the Big Ten Tournament, but it's only been a member of the conference since the 2014-15 season. 2019-20 has been the Terrapins' most successful season since then, as this is the first time they've won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

It's been a strong year for Maryland, but it missed an opportunity to win the regular-season crown outright with a slow finish. The Terps were 22-4 after a win over Northwestern on Feb. 18, but they then lost three of their next four games.

However, Maryland put an end to that rough stretch with a quality home victory over Michigan in Sunday's regular-season finale. Perhaps that victory will put the Terps back on track entering the most important time of the year.

"Would we have liked to have won [the regular-season title] outright? Absolutely, but we're still champs," Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

The Terps could still own a championship to themselves if they can take down the Big Ten's other top teams to win the conference tournament title.