Predicting every game of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament
The Big Ten Tournament tips off on Wednesday night from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis with March Madness ready to kick into high gear. The Michigan Wolverines enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed looking to solidify their NCAA Tournament standing.
The conference has its share of the national elite, but Big Ten chaos has run rampant through the regular season. It would only feel right for Michigan and others to get in on the madness themselves.
RELATED: Juwan Howard reinstated, will coach Michigan in the postseason
With that in mind, here is a prediction on how this year’s Big Ten Tournament could play out and who will be the final team standing on Sunday afternoon.
First Round (Wednesday, March 9, BTN)
No. 13 Nebraska vs. No. 12 Northwestern, 6 p.m. ET
Rarely is a win on Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament ever considered an upset, but the Cornhuskers are playing better basketball right now and head into Indy on a three-game win streak. Northwestern is 2-0 against Nebraska this year and it is extremely difficult to sweep the third game. Look for Nebraska’s hot stretch to continue with Fred Hoiberg attempting to give his program something to build from.
Prediction: Nebraska
No 14 Minnesota vs. No. 11 Penn State, 25 minutes after prior game ends
If madness is what you desire, this is the right place to be. Both of these teams have struggled throughout the season, hence why they are playing on Wednesday night. Each has won one game in the season series with Wednesday night’s showdown as the rubber match. Look for the Gophers to avenge their 67-46 loss from Feb. 17 and advance to Thursday’s game action.
Prediction: Minnesota
Second Round (Thursday, March 10, BTN)
No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Michigan, 11:30 a.m. ET
Michigan beat Indiana this year in Bloomington by a score of 80-62 in the lone matchup of these two teams. The Hoosiers will be out for revenge, but the Wolverines will have plenty of juice for this game. Head coach Juwan Howard returns after a five-game suspension with his team on the verge of the NCAA Tournament. Winning efforts have been hard to string together in consecutive games this year, but look for Michigan to come out with plenty of energy and play for its head coach.
Prediction: Michigan
No. 13 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Iowa, 25 minutes after prior game ends
Iowa does not guard anyone particularly well, so this one could get interesting if Nebraska gets hot offensively. Stars shine in these types of settings and the Hawkeyes have arguably the Big Ten Player of the Year in Keegan Murray. Look for Iowa to keep its late-season push going.
Prediction: Iowa
No. 10 Maryland vs. No. 7 Michigan State, 6:30 p.m. ET
Every time we get ready to call Tom Izzo and the Spartans dead in the water, they wake up in March and surprise everyone. This year’s Michigan State team may have that same type of championship DNA, but they have enough to beat Maryland.
Prediction: Michigan State
No. 14 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Ohio State, 25 minutes after prior game ends
Ohio State faded in the last week of the season, losing three of their last four games. Now, they could be stuck in a game that tips off after 9 p.m. ET against the worst team in the conference. Still, the Buckeyes should be able to make somewhat easy work of whoever they see on Thursday night.
Prediction: Ohio State
Quarterfinals (Friday, March 11, BTN)
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 1 Illinois, 11:30 a.m. ET
Illinois has won both games in the series this year, but this would be the first time Michigan plays them at full strength. The Wolverines do not necessarily need to win this game to make the NCAAs, but it would go a long way in finally building some momentum for the postseason. Michigan played so well in their last meeting on Feb. 27, a 93-85 loss, but could not get a critical stop. This time, they find a way to inject their own chaos into this tournament.
Prediction: Michigan
No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 4 Rutgers, 25 minutes after prior game ends
Iowa will be the darling pick in this game given Murray and how they have played down the stretch. But there is something about Rutgers that gets teams into a rock fight and brings them down to their level. The Scarlet Knights already beat the Hawkeyes 48-46 on Jan. 19, so there is precedent for this. However, look for Iowa to take care of business and get to Saturday.
Prediction: Iowa
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Wisconsin, 6:30 p.m. ET
These two teams have split the season series and would get one more crack at each other on Friday evening. This one would come down to guard play and the lights will shine bright on Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis. Look for the Badgers to ride their star into Saturday.
Prediction: Wisconsin
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Purdue, 25 minutes after prior game ends
Purdue is one of those teams that probably cannot wait to get out of Big Ten play and face other teams. They have a long wait to play their first game of the Big Ten Tournament, but potential top-four pick Jaden Ivey helps Purdue escape a showdown with another potential conference player of the year in OSU’s EJ Liddell.
Pick: Purdue
Semifinals (March 12, CBS)
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 5 Iowa, 1 p.m. ET
The Hawkeyes blitzed the Wolverines when the two last played in Ann Arbor on March 3. That was a revenge game for the heist Michigan pulled off in Iowa City a few weeks prior. It would be a crazy turn of events for Michigan to go from NCAA Tournament bubble to playing for a tournament championship. Unfortunately, it feels like they could run out of gas come Saturday. We start to see a path to the title game if they find a way to beat Illinois, though. Leaning Hawkeyes here.
Prediction: Iowa
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 2 Wisconsin, 25 minutes after prior game ends
Most pundits would probably predict the winner of this game to win Sunday’s championship game. It feels like that would be the case if it gets to this point. The Badgers have won both games in the season series, which should only fuel Purdue even more after losing out on the conference title by a single game. The Boilermakers roll in this one in a showdown between Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis.
Pick: Purdue
Championship game (March 13, CBS)
No. 5 Iowa vs. No 3 Purdue, 3:30 p.m. ET
Purdue’s potential path to a Big Ten Tournament Championship would see them having to go through teams led by Liddell, Davis and now Murray. Guard play wins this time of year and the Boilermakers have arguably the best in the country in Ivey. Purdue has swept both games in the series this year and their post pieces (Zach Edey and Trevion Williams) could be put what puts them over the top in a game like this. Matt Painter’s team will be the ones cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
Prediction: Purdue
