The 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday in Indianapolis with three games on the docket. The tournament runs through Sunday, March 16th with the championship game.
So to get things rolling, six teams will be in action for a chance to get to the second round. With the conference this year, 18 teams vied for 15 spots. The top four teams get two byes while teams No. 5 through 9 receive a bye in the first round.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the most recent matchups, what’s going on in each game and more. The bracket will be updated throughout the tournament.
Game 1: No. 13 Northwestern def. No. 12 Minnesota, 72-64
Northwestern controlled the game from the opening tip against Minnesota, taking an early lead and never really looking back. The lead never ballooned too far out of control, but the Golden Gophers could never get close enough to mount a serious threat in the second half.
Junior forward Nick Martinelli led the way, scoring 28 points on 12-of-22 shooting. He also chipped in a team-high seven rebounds as the Wildcats dominated the glass and put the clamps down defensively.
Game 2: No. 15 Iowa def. No. 10 Ohio State, 77-70
Tied at halftime, neither team found much separation in the second half until a 7-0 run from the Hawkeyes bled into the final media timeout of the game. Leading 68-61, Iowa would maintain the lead through the end of regulation and advance in the tournament, despite the Buckeyes’ best effort. The Hawkeyes’ scoring effort was led by Payton Sandfort with 17 points. Josh Dix scored 16 as well.
Game 3: No. 14 USC 97 def. No. 11 Rutgers 89 (2OT)
USC looked to be in the driver’s seat, taking a 41-30 lead into the halftime break. However, the Trojans were the ones playing catchup during the final five minutes of the second half. Rutgers would go on to outscore USC 43-32 in the second half to send the game to overtime.
Eventually, the Trojans would prevail 97-89 after two overtime periods to defeat the Scarlet Knights to advance to the second round on Thursday. The Trojans finished with four players in double figures, led by the trio of Wesley Yates III, Rashaun Agee and Desmond Claude with a combined 75 points. For Rutgers Ace Bailey totaled 27 points.
Game 4: No. 8 Oregon 72 vs. No. 9 Indiana 59
Time: 12 p.m. EST
TV: Big Ten Network, Fubo
On Thursday, Oregon downed Indiana 72-59 to kick off the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. In the win, the Ducks were hot from downtown, knocking down 8-of-their-20 (40%) attempts from beyond the arc. Jacks Shelstad led the charge for Oregon, 18 points and three rebounds on 6-13 shooting.
Game 5: No. 5 Wisconsin 70 vs. No. 13 Northwestern 63Time: 25 minutes after Game 4
TV: Big Ten Network, Fubo
Wisconsin took care of business on Thursday, securing a 70-63 win over the lower-seeded Northwestern. In the win, John Tonje and Nolan Winter combined for 36 points and 13 rebounds while only committing two turnovers.
Game 6: No. 7 Illinois 106, No. 15 Iowa 94
The first game on Thursday’s nightcap quickly turned into a blowout for Illinois after a close score line at halftime. Fran McCaffery was tossed from the game for two technicals, which was too much for Iowa to overturn. A nice double-digit win for the Fighting Illini as they are now in the semifinals.
Game 7: No. 6 Purdue 76, No. 14 USC 71
As close to a real upset as we have seen thus far at the Big Ten Tournament, Purdue was able to stave off a great effort from USC. Trey Kaufman-Renn was the game’s star, leading both teams with 30 points while adding seven rebounds. A sigh of relief comes from the Boilermakers as they advance to the quarterfinals.
Game 8: No. 1 Michigan State def No. 8 Oregon, 74-64
Michigan State took on Oregon to start the action off with a bang on Friday in the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans raced out to a ten-point lead at halftime, and they wouldn’t look back afterwards. They held serve throughout the second half with the Ducks, and now Tom Izzo’s team is on to the Semifinals, where they’ll look to continue their march to the title game.
Jase Richardson didn’t have his best afternoon shooting the ball, going 4-for-13 on field goal attempts, but he did go 3-for-7 on three-point shots. His 17 points led the way for Michigan. Nate Bittle led all scorers with 22, but it was in a losing effort for Oregon. He certainly would’ve rather seen his Ducks get the dub.
Game 9: No. 5 Wisconsin 86, No. 4 UCLA 70
Wisconsin took full control of Friday’s matchup against UCLA in the first half and didn’t look back. The Badgers’ offense was firing on all cylinders en route to an 86-70 victory to advance to the conference semifinals.
John Tonje led the way for UW with 26 points while John Blackwell added 18. The Wisconsin defense was also impressive, holding UCLA to just 32.4% shooting.
Game 10: No. 2 Maryland 88, No. 7 Illinois 65
Maryland sprinted out to a quick start against Illinois in Friday’s Big Ten tournament quarterfinal and didn’t let off the gas in the second half. The Terps dominated on both sides of the ball en route to the 88-65 victory to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.
Rodney Rice led all scorers with 26 points for Maryland, going 8-for-12 from the field and 7-for-9 from three-point territory. Illinois struggled mightily from deep, as well, going just 6-for-27 from downtown in the blowout loss.
Game 11: No. 3 Michigan 86, No. 6 Purdue 68Time: 25 minutes after Game 6
TV: BTN, Fubo
Purdue jumped out in front early against Michigan, but the Wolverines kicked things in to high gear the rest of the way. They led by as many as 16 points en route to the victory over Purdue and clinch a spot in the semifinals.
Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin led the way for UM with 16 points and 15 points, respectively. Trey Kaufman-Renn led all scorers with 24 points for Purdue, which will now set its sights on the NCAA tournament.
Game 12: No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 5 WisconsinTime: 1 p.m. EST
TV: CBS, Paramount+, Fubo
Game 13: No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 MichiganTime: 25 minutes after Game 12
TV: CBS, Paramount+, Fubo
Game 14: Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
TV: CBS, Paramount+, Fubo
