3/11 Updated Big Ten Tournament Bracket

The Big Ten operated more like the wild west than a major basketball conference this season, but it led to some intriguing and exciting results. It should also set things up nicely for the Big Ten Tournament, especially considering how unpredictable play has been for the league’s top teams.

In light of that, let's take a look at the official 2017 Big Ten Tournament bracket.

As such, here’s a look at the final bracket following the regular season results with the schedule and times for all games.

(Bracket last updated at 4:13 p.m. on March 11, 2017.)

2017 Big Ten Tournament Bracket:

Thoughts:

After a wild week of games, including an incredible finish in Evanston between Michigan and Northwestern, an upset win for Iowa on the road over Wisconsin, and a thriller between Northwestern and Purdue on Sunday, the Big Ten Tournament bracket was officially set on Sunday evening.

At the top, Purdue took the one seed after winning the Big Ten regular season title. Wisconsin moved into the two seed after beating Minnesota on Sunday and Maryland settled at the three after besting Tom Izzo and the Spartans on Saturday. The Golden Gophers took the last double-bye.

In the middle, an intriguing bubble game should be set up at the top between Illinois and Michigan. The game between Indiana and Iowa also looks great, after the sole regular season meeting between the two went to overtime this season. Michigan State and Northwestern will also be desperate to secure NCAA Tournament bids.

The Hoosiers avoided a Wednesday game, which left fans to enjoy a matchup between Ohio State and Rutgers and Nebraska and Penn State. None of these teams have a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament, but Ohio State and Penn State were considered potential NIT teams, so both of those teams will be looking to finish strongly.

Most of these seedings have been expected for some time, but perhaps the most interesting and consequential development was the tough draw for Purdue. Despite grabbing the one seed in this year’s Big Ten Tournament, the Boilermakers will have a tough route to even get to the semi-finals.

To start, Purdue will likely have to face a Michigan team that’s far more dangerous than its seeding. In fact, Michigan’s KenPom rating ranks third in the league and just three spots behind Wisconsin. Then, Purdue would likely look at a matchup against a Minnesota team that has won seven of its last eight or a Michigan State team that’s absolutely desperate for a win to secure its NCAA Tournament bid.

Additionally, the other major storyline to watch will be how Maryland performs with what should be a home court advantage. This year’s Tournament is in Washington, D.C. and as such, most are expecting a great showing from Terps fans. Can Maryland use this fan support to push the team past a rematch with the Badgers?

All told, it should be a great week of Big Ten basketball.