Big Ten Tournament 2022: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions

The race to crown the regular-season champion of Big Ten men's basketball came down to the finish line—and even that wasn't enough.

Illinois' win over Iowa, coupled with Wisconsin's loss to Nebraska on Sunday, meant the Illini and Badgers would share the regular-season title.

That shows how competitive this league is, as six different teams suffered between five and eight regular-season losses. That also means the college basketball world is headed for a thrill ride when the Big Ten tournament tips off on Wednesday.

We're here to help whet your appetite for the madness ahead by laying out the tournament bracket, running through the updated odds and predicting which program will have the last laugh in Indianapolis.

Bracket

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

Wednesday, March 9

Game 1: No. 12 Northwestern vs. No. 13 Nebraska

Game 2: No. 11 Penn State vs. No. 14 Minnesota

             

Thursday, March 10

Game 3: No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Indiana

Game 4: No. 5 Iowa vs. Game 1 winner

Game 5: No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Maryland

Game 6: No. 6 Ohio State vs. Game 2 winner

              

Friday, March 11

Game 7: No. 1 Illinois vs. Game 3 winner

Game 8: No. 4 Rutgers vs. Game 4 winner

Game 9: No. 2 Wisconsin vs. Game 5 winner

Game 10: No. 3 Purdue vs. Game 6 winner

            

Saturday, March 12

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner

                   

Sunday, March 13

Game 13: Championship

Odds

Michael Allio/Associated Press

Purdue: +220

Illinois: +370

Iowa: +370

Wisconsin: +800

Ohio State: +1000

Michigan: +1100

Michigan State: +2000

Indiana: +2500

Northwestern: +10000

Maryland: +10000

Penn State: +20000

Nebraska: +30000

Minnesota: +50000

          

*Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Predictions

Doug McSchooler/Associated Press

The oddsmakers have effectively pegged this as a three-team race between Purdue, Illinois and Iowa. It probably would be four if not for the uncertainty surrounding Wisconsin's leading scorer, Johnny Davis, who was injured on a flagrant foul during Sunday's loss to Nebraska.

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard later told reporters, "I'm optimistic that he's going to be fine," but that was the extent of his update. The Badgers will hold wild-card status until Davis' situation grows clearer.

While our crystal ball could take the bold route and offer up a championship pick from outside of the aforementioned trio, boldness always takes a backseat to accuracy. And, frankly, there isn't a good enough reason to pick someone else beyond wanting to be bold.

The Hawkeyes are hot, winning eight of their last 10 games—all by double digits. They also follow the lead of a potential top-10 pick in sophomore forward Keegan Murray, who paced the conference in scoring at 23.3 points per game. If the shooters around him hit their mark, Iowa could score its way to a conference crown.

The Boilermakers are as dangerous as anyone and can overwhelm opponents with offense. KenPom.com gives Purdue the nation's best adjusted offensive efficiency. That has a lot to do with the play of sophomore guard Jaden Ivey—another likely top-10 pick—but 7'4", 295-pound center Zach Edey is hard to handle from close range and senior forward Trevion Williams connects the dots as their glue guy.

The problem is that defense matters, and neither Purdue nor Iowa plays a ton of it. Illinois does (29th in adjusted defensive efficiency), and it's only slightly less potent than those other teams on offense (20th).

The Illini, who won a share of the regular-season title, have a double-double machine in junior center Kofi Cockburn. When guards Alfonso Plummer, Trent Frazier and Jacob Grandison get rolling from three, this team is almost impossible to stop.

Picking the top seed to win it all might be the opposite of bold, but if it's the right call to make, that's all that matters.

           

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