Big 10 Tournament 2022: Bracket Predictions Before Final Regular-Season Games
There are only seven Big Ten men's basketball games remaining in the regular season, all of which will take place over the next two days. But there's still plenty up for grabs on Saturday and Sunday before the conference tournament takes place next week.
Wisconsin is atop the Big Ten standings, but it hasn't yet clinched the No. 1 seed for the conference tourney. It's still possible that Illinois, which is at No. 2, could ascend to the top of the standings on Sunday.
Also, five teams are still in the running to earn a double-bye into the quarterfinals, which is given to only the top four teams in the conference.
The 2022 Big Ten tournament, which is being held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, is set to begin Wednesday and will conclude with the championship game on March 13. The full schedule for the event is available at the Big Ten's official website.
Here are predictions for how the bracket for the Big Ten tournament will shake out following this weekend's action.
Big Ten Tournament Bracket Predictions
1. Wisconsin
2. Illinois
3. Purdue
4. Ohio State
5. Rutgers
6. Iowa
7. Michigan State
8. Michigan
9. Indiana
10. Maryland
11. Penn State
12. Northwestern
13. Minnesota
14. Nebraska
It would take a big upset on Sunday for Wisconsin to not end up with the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament. The Badgers close out the regular season with a home matchup against Nebraska, the last-place team in the conference that is 3-16 in Big Ten play.
Before Illinois even takes the court on Sunday night, its hopes of capturing the No. 1 seed will be gone, as Wisconsin should cruise to victory against Nebraska. The Badgers notched a 73-65 win over the Cornhuskers when the two teams faced off on Jan. 27.
Although Illinois won't be playing for the No. 1 seed, it will likely need to beat Iowa to avoid falling to the No. 3 seed. Purdue should beat Indiana on Saturday, which will put the Fighting Illini in a position in which they must win to secure the No. 2 seed.
That Illinois-Iowa matchup may be the most important Big Ten game of the weekend. Not only will it matter for the Fighting Illini, but the Hawkeyes will likely be trying to hold on to the No. 4 seed. Ohio State should beat Michigan, which means Iowa will need to win to avoid falling to the No. 5 seed.
It should be a competitive matchup when Illinois and Iowa face off. When the two teams met on Dec. 6, the Fighting Illini came away with an 87-83 road victory. The stakes will be higher this time, though, with both teams battling for seeding for the Big Ten tournament.
While that game could go either way, the prediction here is that Illinois will again come out on top. Iowa will have trouble trying to contain junior center Kofi Cockburn, who is leading the Fighting Illini with 21 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
So Ohio State will secure the No. 4 seed and be the final team to get a double-bye. That means Iowa will get only one bye and will have to play its first game of the Big Ten tournament in the second round.
It's also quite possible that the Hawkeyes will fall to the No. 6 seed. Rutgers should win its regular-season finale at home against Penn State, which would give both it and Iowa a 12-8 record in Big Ten play this season.
The Scarlet Knights will own the tiebreaker over the Hawkeyes, as they won the only matchup between the teams this season. That will end up mattering, with Rutgers getting the No. 5 seed thanks to it.
There likely won't be much movement in the bottom of the standings this weekend. The four teams that are in the Nos. 11-14 seeds are likely to stay there, meaning they'll each have to play a first-round game on Wednesday.
The Big Ten tournament is likely to be quite competitive, with plenty of entertaining games this year. Although Wisconsin will be the No. 1 seed, there will be numerous other strong contenders, and any of them could end up capturing the tourney title.
