| Big Ten men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Sport | College basketball |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| Current location | Indianapolis |
| Played | 1998–present |
| Last contest | 2025 |
| Current champion | Michigan (3) |
| Most championships | Michigan State (6) |
| TV partner(s) | CBS (semifinals/championship) Big Ten Network (second round & quarterfinals) Peacock (first round) |
| Official website | Big Ten Men's Basketball |
| Sponsors | |
| TIAA | |
| Host stadiums | |
| United Center (1998–2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2026) Gainbridge Fieldhouse (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008–12, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022, 2025, 2027) Verizon Center (2017) Madison Square Garden (2018) Lucas Oil Stadium (2021) Target Center (2024) T-Mobile Arena (2028) | |
The Big Ten men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, and receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Big Ten was one of the last NCAA Division I college basketball conferences to start a tournament.
The finals of the tournament are typically held immediately before the field for the NCAA Tournament is announced, although in 2018 it was held the week before Selection Sunday.
On seven occasions, the champion of the tournament has gone on to reach the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament (Michigan State in 1999, 2000, and 2019, Illinois in 2005, Ohio State in 2007, Wisconsin in 2015, and Michigan in 2018). In 2000, champion Michigan State won the NCAA tournament. The No. 1 seed has won the tournament ten times, the most of any seed. The lowest seed to win the tournament was Michigan as a No. 8 seed in 2017. Three schools have won two consecutive championships: Michigan State (1999, 2000), Ohio State (2010, 2011), and Michigan (2017, 2018).
Since its creation, the tournament has included every team in the conference, except for the 2025 edition, when only 15 of the 18 eligible teams were included. [1]
The Big Ten Men's Basketball tournaments have been held at neutral sites every year. The first four tournaments were held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Beginning in 2002, the tournament alternated between the United Center and Conseco Fieldhouse (later known as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and now as Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2008, the tournament began a five-year stay in Indianapolis. [2]
On June 5, 2011, the Big Ten announced that the tournament would revert to alternating between Indianapolis and Chicago. The 2013 and 2015 tournaments were played at the United Center in Chicago and the 2014 and 2016 tournaments were played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. [3]
The 2017 tournament was held at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. [4] [5] The 2018 tournament was held at Madison Square Garden in New York and held a week earlier than usual due to the Big East tournament, ending on March 4, 2018, one week before Selection Sunday. [6] [7] [8]
The 2019 through 2022 Tournaments returned to alternating between the United Center in Chicago and Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. [9] On February 9, 2021, it was announced that the 2021 edition would be moved from its planned location of the United Center in Chicago to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis due to health and safety protocols relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 2022 as planned before returning to Chicago in 2023. [10]
On April 20, 2022, the Big Ten announced that Minneapolis will host the 2024 edition at the Target Center for the first time. [11] On July 31, 2024, the Big Ten announced the Tournament locations from 2025 through 2028, with the 2025 and 2027 editions being held at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the 2026 edition being held at the United Center, and for the first time, the 2028 edition being held at the T-Mobile Arena. [12]
Due to various rulings against participating programs, some of the results of the Big Ten tournament have been vacated or voided. Here is a compiled list of sanctions imposed that have affected the results and records of the tournament since its inception. The information in this article does not include results of the teams in which records were vacated.
| Year | Champion | Seed | Score | Runner-up | Seed | Most Outstanding Player | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Michigan [note 1] | 4 | 76–67 | Purdue | 3 | Robert Traylor, Michigan [note 1] | United Center, Chicago |
| 1999 | Michigan State | 1 | 67–50 | Illinois | 11 | Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State | |
| 2000 | Michigan State | 2 | 76–61 | Illinois | 4 | Morris Peterson, Michigan State | |
| 2001 | Iowa | 6 | 63–61 | Indiana | 4 | Reggie Evans, Iowa | |
| 2002 | Ohio State [note 2] | 2 | 81–64 | Iowa | 9 | Boban Savovic, Ohio State [note 2] | Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2003 | Illinois | 2 | 72–59 | Ohio State | 8 | Brian Cook, Illinois | United Center, Chicago |
| 2004 | Wisconsin | 2 | 70–53 | Illinois | 1 | Devin Harris, Wisconsin | Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2005 | Illinois | 1 | 54–43 | Wisconsin | 3 | James Augustine, Illinois | United Center, Chicago |
| 2006 | Iowa | 2 | 67–60 | Ohio State | 1 | Jeff Horner, Iowa | Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2007 | Ohio State | 1 | 66–49 | Wisconsin | 2 | Greg Oden, Ohio State | United Center, Chicago |
| 2008 | Wisconsin | 1 | 61–48 | Illinois | 10 | Marcus Landry, Wisconsin | Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2009 | Purdue | 3 | 65–61 | Ohio State | 5 | Robbie Hummel, Purdue | |
| 2010 | Ohio State | 1 | 90–61 | Minnesota | 6 | Evan Turner, Ohio State | |
| 2011 | Ohio State | 1 | 71–60 | Penn State | 6 | Jared Sullinger, Ohio State | |
| 2012 | Michigan State | 1 | 68–64 | Ohio State | 3 | Draymond Green, Michigan State | |
| 2013 | Ohio State | 2 | 50–43 | Wisconsin | 4 | Aaron Craft, Ohio State | United Center, Chicago |
| 2014 | Michigan State | 3 | 69–55 | Michigan | 1 | Branden Dawson, Michigan State | Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2015 | Wisconsin | 1 | 80–69OT | Michigan State | 3 | Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin | United Center, Chicago |
| 2016 | Michigan State | 2 | 66–62 | Purdue | 4 | Denzel Valentine, Michigan State | Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2017 | Michigan | 8 | 71–56 | Wisconsin | 2 | Derrick Walton, Michigan | Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. |
| 2018 | Michigan | 5 | 75–66 | Purdue | 3 | Moritz Wagner, Michigan | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
| 2019 | Michigan State | 1 | 65–60 | Michigan | 3 | Cassius Winston, Michigan State | United Center, Chicago |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | Illinois | 2 | 91–88OT | Ohio State | 5 | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis |
| 2022 | Iowa | 5 | 75–66 | Purdue | 3 | Keegan Murray, Iowa | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2023 | Purdue | 1 | 67–65 | Penn State | 10 | Zach Edey, Purdue | United Center, Chicago |
| 2024 | Illinois | 2 | 93–87 | Wisconsin | 5 | Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois | Target Center, Minneapolis |
| 2025 | Michigan | 3 | 59–53 | Wisconsin | 5 | Vladislav Goldin, Michigan | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 2026 | United Center, Chicago | ||||||
| 2027 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis | ||||||
| 2028 | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas | ||||||
Through 2025 tournament
| School | Record | Winning Pct. | Championships | Runners-up | Championship Years | Runners-Up Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 36–21 | .632 | 6 | 1 | 1999, 2000, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019 | 2015 |
| Ohio State | 34–20 [note 2] | .630 | 4 | 5 | 2002, [note 2] 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 | 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2021 |
| Illinois | 35–23 | .603 | 4 | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2021, 2024 | 1999, 2000, 2004, 2008 |
| Michigan | 28–22 [note 1] | .560 | 3 | 2 | 1998, [note 1] 2017, 2018, 2025 | 2014, 2019 |
| Wisconsin | 32–24 | .571 | 3 | 6 | 2004, 2008, 2015 | 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017, 2024, 2025 |
| Iowa | 23–24 | .489 | 3 | 1 | 2001, 2006, 2022 | 2002 |
| Purdue | 21–25 | .457 | 2 | 4 | 2009, 2023 | 1998, 2016, 2018, 2022 |
| Oregon | 1–1 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| USC | 1–1 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Penn State | 21–26 | .447 | 0 | 2 | 2011, 2023 | |
| Minnesota | 19–25 [note 3] | .432 | 0 | 1 | 2010 | |
| Indiana | 17–27 | .386 | 0 | 1 | 2001 | |
| Maryland | 6–10 | .375 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Rutgers | 5–10 | .333 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nebraska | 6–13 | .316 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Northwestern | 11–28 | .282 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Washington | 0–0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| UCLA | 0–1 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Through 2025 tournament [14]
| Teams (# of titles) | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020* | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| B1G (26) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (11) | (12) | (12) | (12) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | (14) | |
| 1 | Michigan State (6) | QF | C | C | QF | QF | SF | SF | QF | SF | QF | SF | SF | QF | SF | C | SF | C | F | C | QF | SF | C | QF | 2R | SF | QF | QF |
| 2 | Ohio State (5) | 1R | SF | QF | QF | C | F | 1R | QF | F | C | QF | F | C | C | F | C | SF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | QF | 2R | F | 2R | SF | QF |
| 3 | Illinois (4) | SF | F | F | SF | SF | C | F | C | QF | SF | F | SF | SF | QF | 1R | QF | QF | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | 2R | QF | C | QF | 2R | C |
| 4 | Michigan (3) | C | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | SF | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | QF | QF | SF | SF | QF | F | QF | SF | C | C | F | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | 1R |
| 4 | Wisconsin (3) | QF | SF | SF | QF | QF | QF | C | F | QF | F | C | QF | QF | QF | SF | F | SF | C | 2R | F | QF | SF | QF | QF | QF | 1R | F |
| 4 | Iowa (3) | QF | QF | QF | C | F | 1R | QF | SF | C | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | SF | C | 2R | 2R |
| 7 | Purdue (2) | F | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | C | SF | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | SF | F | QF | F | QF | 2R | QF | F | C | SF |
| 8 | Indiana (0) | QF | QF | QF | F | SF | SF | QF | QF | SF | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | QF | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | SF | SF | QF |
| 8 | Minnesota (0) | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | SF | QF | 1R | SF | QF | F | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | SF | 1R | SF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R |
| 8 | Penn State (0) | 1R | 1R | SF | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | F | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | F | 2R |
| 11 | Northwestern (0) | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | SF | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | QF |
| 11 | Nebraska (0) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | SF |
| 11 | Maryland (0) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | SF | SF | QF | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | 2R | QF | 2R |
| 11 | Rutgers (0) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | QF | QF | QF | 1R |
| Teams (# of titles) | 2025 | |
| B1G (26) | (15) | |
| 1 | Michigan State (6) | SF |
| 2 | Ohio State (5) | 1R |
| 3 | Illinois (4) | QF |
| 4 | Michigan (3) | C |
| 4 | Wisconsin (3) | F |
| 4 | Iowa (3) | 2R |
| 7 | Purdue (2) | QF |
| 8 | Indiana (0) | 2R |
| 8 | Minnesota (0) | 1R |
| 8 | Penn State (0) | • |
| 11 | Northwestern (0) | 2R |
| 11 | Nebraska (0) | • |
| 11 | Maryland (0) | SF |
| 11 | Rutgers (0) | 1R |
| 11 | Washington (0) | • |
| 11 | Oregon (0) | QF |
| 11 | UCLA (0) | QF |
| 11 | USC (0) | 2R |
Key
| C | Champion |
| F | Runner-up |
| SF | Semifinals |
| QF | Quarterfinals |
| RR | Round Number |
| • | Did not participate |
*The 2020 tournament was canceled after the first-round games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Seed | Record | Winning pct | Championships | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43–17 | .717 | 10 | 3 |
| 2 | 35–17 [note 2] | .673 | 8* | 2 |
| 3 | 30–23 [note 2] | .566 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | 16–26 [note 1] | .381 | 0* | 4 |
| 5 | 30–25 | .545 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | 34–25 [note 3] | .576 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 21–27 | .438 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 24–25 [note 3] | .490 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 12–27 | .308 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | 15–26 [note 1] | .366 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 13–27 | .325 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 6–13 | .316 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 10–11 | .476 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 5–11 | .313 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 1–1 | .500 | 0 | 0 |
* Does not include vacated wins by Michigan (1998) and Ohio State (2002)
through 2025 tournament [14]
| Coach | School | Record | Winning pct. | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thad Matta | Ohio State | 23–9 | .719 | 4 |
| Micah Shrewsberry | Penn State | 5–2 | .714 | 0 |
| Bill Self | Illinois | 5–2 | .714 | 1 |
| Steve Alford | Iowa | 13–6 | .684 | 2 |
| John Beilein | Michigan | 21–10 | .677 | 2 |
| Lon Kruger | Illinois | 6–3 | .667 | 0 |
| Tom Izzo | Michigan State | 36–21 | .632 | 6 |
| Brad Underwood | Illinois | 8–5 | .615 | 2 |
| Bo Ryan | Wisconsin | 17–11 | .607 | 3 |
| Bruce Weber | Illinois | 12–8 | .600 | 1 |
| Chris Holtmann | Ohio State | 7–5 | .583 | 0 |
| Greg Gard | Wisconsin | 11–9 | .550 | 0 |
| Mike Davis | Indiana | 7–6 | .538 | 0 |
| Tubby Smith | Minnesota | 7–6 | .538 | 0 |
| Matt Painter | Purdue | 18–17 | .514 | 2 |
| Richard Pitino | Minnesota | 7–7 | .500 | 0 |
| Fran McCaffery | Iowa | 10–13 | .435 | 1 |
| Tim Miles | Nebraska | 5–7 | .417 | 0 |
| Steve Pikiell | Rutgers | 5–8 | .385 | 0 |
| Pat Chambers | Penn State | 5–8 | .385 | 0 |
| Ed DeChellis | Penn State | 5–8 | .385 | 0 |
| Chris Collins | Northwestern | 5–12 | .294 | 0 |
| Bill Carmody | Northwestern | 5–13 | .278 | 0 |
Note: Current coaches at school in bold. Minimum of five wins. [14]