The 2018 Big Ten Tournament brackets have arrived. The week of excitement begins at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 28. Though Michigan State and Ohio State are the favorites to win the Big Ten Tournament, anything can happen when the teams take the floor. Both schools get double byes and won’t have to play until March 2. First, the bottom 10 schools have to battle it out.

In the first round, Iowa will play Illinois on one side of the Big Ten brackets, while Minnesota will take on Rutgers on the other side. All four schools have a tough road ahead if they want to win the entire Big Ten Tournament.

It would take five wins apiece for the bottom four seeded schools to make it all the way. With a lot of roadblocks in their way, it would be really tough. But that’s why they play the games.

In the most updated Bracketology report by ESPN, only four Big Ten schools are projected to make the 2018 NCAA Tournament. They are Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Purdue. Don’t tell that to the Nebraska fans, though, as the Cornhuskers are the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament brackets and the school is looking to make a statement. The team gets a double bye and a lot of preparation time to try to run the table.

For Nebraska to make a serious case to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the school may need to win at least two games in the conference tournament.

That could require the team to first beat Michigan and to then knock off top-seeded Michigan State in a semi-final game. That's no easy task for any school. Upsets do happen, though, like when Michigan beat Ohio State this year, but the odds still favor the Michigan State Spartans. Can a school like Nebraska, Penn State, or Maryland pull off the huge upset?

The school that wins the Big Ten Tournament gets an automatic spot in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. This raises the stakes and presents a possibility for the conference to get more than four schools into the Big Dance. Most of the experts have picked Michigan State to win their three games and get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Is there an upset brewing? Both Nebraska and Michigan are hoping to make that happen.

Big Ten Tournament schedule*

February 28 – First Round matchups

Game 1: No. 12 Iowa vs. No. 13 Illinois (5:30 PM ET / BTN)

Game 2: No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 14 Rutgers (8 / BTN)

March 1 – Second Round matchups

Game 3: No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 Wisconsin (12 PM ET / BTN)

Game 4: No. 5 Michigan vs. Iowa/Illinois (2:30 / BTN)

Game 5: No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Northwestern (6:30 / BTN)

Game 6: No. 6 Indiana vs. Minnesota/Rutgers (9 / BTN)

March 2 – Third Round matchups

Game 7: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Maryland/Wisconsin (12 PM ET / BTN)

Game 8: No. 4 Nebraska vs. Michigan/Iowa/Illinois (2:30 / BTN)

Game 9: No. 2 Ohio State vs.

Penn State/Northwestern (6:30 / BTN)

Game 10: No. 3 Purdue vs. Indiana/Minnesota/Rutgers (9 / BTN)

Big Ten Tournament brackets final four

March 3 – Semi-Finals

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (2 PM ET / CBS)

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (4:30 / CBS

March 4 – Big Ten Championship

Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (4:30 PM ET / CBS)

*All times are PM ET.
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