Big Ten Tournament Day 1: Live Updates

The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament officially gets underway in Chicago, Illinois Wednesday. It marks the start of March Madness for the conference with the first two games on the docket with Thursday getting a full slate of four games in the second round. The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game follow on consecutive days through Sunday.

Minnesota and Nebraska tipped in Day 1’s second game on Wednesday after both spent much of the year in the bottom half of the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers had a strong offensive attack through the first half, shooting 57.7% from the field to take a 37-33 lead over the Cornhuskers into the locker room.

The second half got interesting, especially after Jamison Battle fouled out with nine minutes to play. Nebraska pulled it within two points in the final minute, and got within one point as time ticked away. However, Minnesota held on for the 78-75 victory to upset the No. 11-seeded Cornhuskers.

The second round of the Big Ten Tournament is scheduled to tip at 12:00 p.m ET on Thursday with Rutgers and Michigan squaring off.

2023 Big Ten Tournament schedule, results

All times eastern

Wednesday, March 8
First Round

No. 13 Ohio State 65, No. 12 Wisconsin 57
No. 14 Minnesota 78, No. 11 Nebraska 75

Thursday, March 9
Second Round

12:00 p.m. – No. 9 Rutgers vs. No. 8 Michigan
25 minutes after Game 3 – Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Iowa
6:30 p.m. – No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 7 Illinois
25 minutes after Game 5 – No. 14 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Maryland

Friday, March 10
Quarterfinals

12:00 p.m. – No. 9 Rutgers/No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 1 Purdue
25 minutes after Game 7 – Game 4 winner vs. No. 4 Michigan State
6:30 p.m. – No. 10 Penn State/No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 2 Northwestern
25 minutes after Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. No. 3 Indiana

Saturday, March 11
Semifinals

1:00 p.m. – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
25 minutes after Game 11 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner

Sunday, March 12
Championship

3:30 p.m – Game 11 vs. Game 12 winner

Ohio State 65, Wisconsin 57

Ohio State and Wisconsin started things off, and it was all Buckeyes in the first half. They shot 68.2% from the field, including a 4-for-7 showing from three-point territory, to take a commanding 36-18 lead into halftime. Wisconsin struggled mightily on offense, shooting just 30.4% from the floor and failing to make a three-pointer through the first 20 minutes.

Then, after trailing by as many as 27, the Badgers kicked things into gear in the second half thanks in large part to a 19-2 run to get within four points in the final minute. Ultimately, though, Ohio State held on to advance to Thursday’s second round.