Big Ten Conference Tournament predictions
- Dates: March 9-13
- Location: Indianapolis, IN
- Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- TV: Big Ten Network (1st Round, 2nd Round, QF), CBS (SF/Final)
- Top Seed: Illinois
- Bracket
The entire feel of the Big Ten Tournament was shaken up after Johnny Davis got hurt for Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. The Badgers were playing a tight game against Nebraska before falling to the Cornhuskers, costing them sole possession of the Big Ten regular-season crown and the top overall seed in the conference tournament.
That top seed now goes to Illinois, which picked up a nifty win against Iowa to land on top of the bracket. The Fighting Illini will get the winner of a critical Michigan-Indiana bubble battle in the quarterfinals before potentially facing either Iowa or Rutgers in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon.
The bottom of the bracket is headlined by a potential Ohio State-Purdue showdown in the quarterfinals but all eyes will be on the health of Davis. If the sprained ankle that Davis suffered keeps him out of the Big Ten Tournament there’s a good shot that Wisconsin loses to Michigan State or Maryland in its quarterfinal matchup, but if Davis is healthy the Badgers are capable of winning it all.
For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll assume that Davis makes a proper recovery over the next few days and is able to go, which would give Wisconsin the Big Ten title. If Davis is unavailable the pick shifts to Illinois, which has a relatively painless path to the final and can really improve its March Madness seeding with a conference tournament victory.
Prediction: Wisconsin (if Davis is available)