2026 Big Ten Tournament Prediction

After a year of waiting, it's time for arguably the best four-week block on the sports calendar. 

There's nothing like March Madness, but before the bracket gets revealed on Selection Sunday, there's a Big Ten championship to decide in Chicago. 

Outright regular season champion Michigan will undoubtedly be the favorite after winning 19 conference games, but this tournament will feature all 18 of the league's teams vying for a championship. 

That's exactly what's so special about March. Any team can get hot on any given day, which is why the great Jon Rothstein always posts this famous tweet before and during conference tournament time. 

Will we see a bid stealer in the Big Ten? Who knows. 

The only thing that is guaranteed is a fun six-day basketball showcase. Here's the bracket: 

Without further adieu, it's time to reveal HawkeyeRoundtable's official Big Ten tournament prediction. 

Tuesday, March 10

No. 17 Maryland vs. No. 16 Oregon 

Iowa gets the winner of this game on Wednesday morning, so what team would it rather face? The Hawkeyes throttled Oregon in Eugene and lost to Maryland in College Park. One would think you wouldn't want to play a team you've already lost to, but Iowa is definitely hungry for revenge after the Maryland loss. 

I don't think Iowa is getting Maryland, though. Oregon has looked like a different team with Nate Bittle in the lineup, and it keeps its season alive for another day.

Prediction: Oregon 

No. 18 Penn State vs. No. 15 Northwestern 

Northwestern has been competitive for most of the season, while Penn State has not (except when they played Iowa). Nick Martinelli is going to will the Wildcats to victory. 

Prediction: Northwestern 

Wednesday, March 11 

No. 16 Oregon vs. No. 9 Iowa 

This is far from an easy game for the Hawkeyes. Bittle's size will present a stiff challenge for the undersized Iowa frontcourt, but after two close losses against top-10 teams, I think the Hawks take some anger out on the Ducks and do just enough to advance. 

Prediction: Iowa 

No. 13 USC vs No. 12 Washington 

These two teams have had strange seasons. Both have incredible talent, but it just hasn't come together. USC enters this game on a seven-game losing streak, while Washington traded wins and losses in its final six games. 

Give me the Huskies. 

Prediction: Washington 

No. 15 Northwestern vs. No. 10 Indiana 

Indiana's NCAA tournament hopes are on life support, and sorry Hoosier fans, I don't see your team winning a game in Chicago. Darian DeVries is a good coach, but he's going to need a major step forward in year two to bring some excitement back to Indiana basketball. 

The Wildcats win this one in their backyard. 

Prediction: Northwestern 

No. 14 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Minnesota 

Ben McCollum and Niko Medved are going to have some insane battles in the coming years. Medved's injury-riddled Minnesota team has been a tough out for just about every team on its schedule, and the Gophers are not a team I'd want to see if I was an opposing coach. 

Prediction: Minnesota 

Thursday, March 12 

No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Ohio State 

Ohio State's NCAA tournament hopes looked dead after it lost by 17 at Iowa, but the Buckeyes have looked like a different team since. Bruce Thornton is finally in position to play in the Big Dance for the first time in his career, and it's hard to see the Hawkeyes slowing him down again on a neutral court. 

Prediction: Ohio State 

No. 12 Washington vs. No. 5 Wisconsin 

No team in America has better road wins than Wisconsin. The Badgers have beaten Michigan, Purdue, and Illinois on the road this year, and another run to the championship game could be in the cards for Greg Gard's group. 

Prediction: Wisconsin 

No. 15 Northwestern vs. No. 7 Purdue 

Purdue's fall from the preseason AP No. 1 team to the No. 7 seed in Chicago is stunning, but I wouldn't count this team out quite yet. Matt Painter's one of the best coaches in the country, and he's got a veteran roster very capable of winning games in March.

Prediction: Purdue 

No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 6 UCLA

The Gophers defeated the Bruins a few weeks ago in Minneapolis, but UCLA has been dominant ever since. Mick Cronin gets a lot of hate from the media (deservedly so), but his team is off the bubble and playing for NCAA seeding in Chicago. 

Prediction: UCLA 

Friday, March 13

No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 1 Michigan 

Michigan has rolled through the league all season, and that's going to continue here against archrival Ohio State. 

Prediction: Michigan 

No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Illinois 

Wisconsin escaped Champaign with an overtime win last month. Illinois will be seeking revenge, but I don't think they get it. The Badgers are playing some of their best basketball of the season, and if they get Nolan Winter back in the lineup, they're even more dangerous. 

Prediction: Wisconsin 

No. 7 Purdue vs. No. 2 Nebraska 

Both teams have fallen off since their highly-anticipated early-February meeting in Lincoln, but this game comes down to which team has March experience. Nebraska is a good team, but Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Co. will grind out a win. 

Prediction: Purdue 

No. 6 UCLA vs No. 3 Michigan State 

Tom Izzo's teams always find a way to win in March, and the Spartans will find themselves in the semifinals after this one. 

Prediction: Michigan State 

Saturday, March 14

No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Michigan 

Wisconsin is good, but Michigan is just that much better. The Wolverines win a closely-contested rematch of last year's Big Ten championship game, and take one giant step closer to a repeat. 

Prediction: Michigan 

No. 7 Purdue vs. No. 3 Michigan State 

This is where Purdue's run comes to an end. Michigan State beat Purdue by two inside Mackey Arena, and as controversial as he might be, Jeremy Fears Jr. is the type of guard that wins these big games. 

Spartans advance to the championship game. 

Prediction: Michigan State 

Championship: Michigan State vs. Michigan

Michigan State fans hoped Sunday's regular season finale would have regular season championship implications, but they'll get their crack at the Wolverines in the Big Ten championship game. It's going to be a close one, but Michigan's length will be the difference in this one. 

The Wolverines repeat as Big Ten tournament champions and finish their conference run with a remarkable 22-1 record. 

Big Ten champion: Michigan