The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, the largest in conference history, is fast approaching.
This year, for the first time, all 18 teams in the conference will compete for the postseason title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Due to the expansion to 18 teams, the top four seeds will have three days off, rather than two, before their first game.
Action starts Tuesday, March 10 and runs through Sunday, March 15 — right up until Selection Sunday — at Chicago’s United Center, and we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know: matchups, seeding, dates, times, TV channels and more.
Games will air on Peacock, Big Ten Network and CBS.
Here’s how the finalized bracket looks:
First Round – Tuesday, March 10
- Game 1: No. 16 seed Oregon vs. No. 17 seed Maryland (5 p.m. ET, Peacock)
- Game 2: No. 15 seed Northwestern vs. No. 18 seed Penn State (7:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)
Second Round – Wednesday, March 11
- Game 3: No. 9 seed Iowa vs. Game 1 winner (noon ET, Peacock)
- Game 4: No. 12 seed Washington vs. No. 13 seed USC (2:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)
- Game 5: No. 10 seed Indiana vs. Game 2 winner (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 6: No. 11 seed Minnesota vs. No. 14 seed Rutgers (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
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Third Round – Thursday, March 12
- Game 7: No. 8 seed Ohio State vs. Game 3 winner (noon ET, BTN)
- Game 8: No. 5 seed Wisconsin vs. Game 4 winner (2:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 9: No. 7 seed Purdue vs. Game 5 winner (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 10: No. 6 seed UCLA vs. Game 6 winner (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 13
- Game 11: No. 1 seed Michigan vs. Game 7 winner (noon ET, BTN)
- Game 12: No. 4 seed Illinois vs. Game 8 winner (2:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 13: No. 2 seed Nebraska vs. Game 9 winner (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
- Game 14: No. 3 seed Michigan State vs. Game 10 winner (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
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Semifinals – Saturday, March 14
- Game 15: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
- Game 16: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Final – Sunday, March 15
- Game 17: Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
This story will be updated throughout the tournament. Check back for updates.
