The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin on Tuesday night with the bottom four teams in action.
Rutgers avoided playing on night one and earned a single bye in the tournament with a win against Penn State on Sunday in the season finale. The Scarlet Knights, who enter as the 14th seed, will take on No. 11 Minnesota in the final game of the night on Wednesday.
The top four seeds in the field earned the coveted triple bye. Michigan returns as the reigning champion and will enter No. 1 after
a 19-1 Big Ten slate. The Wolverines are looking to become the first back-to-back tournament champions since 2017 and 2018 — also Michigan.
The full Big Ten Tournament bracket is set and it is time to buckle up for six days of action. Below, check out the schedule for the upcoming tournament.
2026 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, March 10 – First Round
- Game 1 – No. 17 Maryland vs. No. 16 Oregon, 5pm
- Game 2 – No. 18 Penn State vs. No. 15 Northwestern, 25 min. after Game 1
Wednesday, March 11 – Second Round
- Game 3 – No. 9 Iowa vs. Game 3 winner, Noon
- Game 4 – No. 12 Washington vs. No. 13 USC, 25 min. after Game 3
- Game 5 – No. 10 Indiana vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30pm
- Game 6 – No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 14 Rutgers, 25 min. after Game 5
Thursday, March 12 – Third Round
- Game 7 – No. 8 Ohio State vs. Game 3 winner, Noon
- Game 8 – No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Game 4 winner, 25 min. after Game 7
- Game 9 – No. 7 Purdue vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30pm
- Game 10 – No. 6 UCLA vs. Game 6 winner, 25 min. after Game 9
Friday, March 13 – Quarterfinals
- Game 11 – No. 1 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner, Noon
- Game 12 – No. 4 Illinois vs. Game 8 winner, 25 min. after Game 11
- Game 13 – No. 2 Nebraska vs. Game 9 winner, 6:30pm
- Game 14 – No. 3 Michigan State vs. Game 10 winner, 25 min. after Game 13
Saturday, March 14 – Semifinals
- Game 15 – Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 1pm
- Game 16 – Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 25 min. after Game 15
Sunday, March 15 – Big Ten Championship Game
- Game 17 – Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner, 3:30pm
