Big East Conference

Creighton Bluejays

Creighton

Men’s Basketball

Big Ten

Creighton Bluejays Men's Basketball team

Creighton vs. Rutgers | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | Big Ten Basketball | 04/02/2026

Big Ten Conference

East

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men's Basketball team

Creighton vs. Rutgers | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | Big Ten Basketball | 04/02/2026 (wQNrx3j-3lw)

Tariq Francis Highlights vs. Creighton | Rutgers Basketball | 04/02/2026

Tariq Francis Highlights vs. Creighton | Rutgers Basketball | 04/02/2026 (6B71wyEncd0)

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan

Michigan Wolverines Men's Basketball team

Dusty May and Tommy Lloyd Preview Final Four Matchup | Michigan Basketball | Press Conference

Dusty May and Tommy Lloyd Preview Final Four Matchup | Michigan Basketball | Press Conference (2UATYtuWKaI)

Big 12 Conference

Baylor Bears

Baylor

Baylor Bears Men's Basketball team

Cade Tyson Highlights vs. Baylor | Minnesota Basketball | 04/01/2026

Box Score

Las Vegas, NV

West

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball team

2026-04-02 | Men's Basketball | Baylor Bears vs Minnesota Golden Gophers | #2823956 | COMPLETE

Minnesota

Cade Tyson Highlights vs. Baylor | Minnesota Basketball | 04/01/2026 (nNlL4lNUVRg)

Minnesota vs. Baylor | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | Big Ten Basketball | 04/01/2026

Minnesota vs. Baylor | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | Big Ten Basketball | 04/01/2026 (yTWRGa3-al0)

Elliot Cadeau Update | Michigan Men's Basketball

Elliot Cadeau Update | Michigan Men's Basketball (UKJlub67U6w)

Final Four Departure | Michigan Basketball

Final Four Departure | Michigan Basketball (dojr7kvRw5E)

Is Keaton Wagler the Best Freshman EVER in College Basketball? | B1G Today

Is Keaton Wagler the Best Freshman EVER in College Basketball? | B1G Today (QV2z2tf7bhw)

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball team

"We didn't get to the Final Four just to get there" | Illinois Basketball

"We didn't get to the Final Four just to get there" | Illinois Basketball (Q_5QdLaEMNA)

Pac-12 Conference

UCLA Bruins

UCLA

UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball team

UCLA makes consecutive Final Fours with defensive adjustments | Big Ten Basketball

UCLA makes consecutive Final Fours with defensive adjustments | Big Ten Basketball (ebQrICK-zJg)

🚂 Purdue Men's Basketball

Purdue

💰💰💰💰💰

🎥: @Brian_Haenchen  https://t.co/YqadLPIT6c

Tweet 2040206558370451776

🚂 Purdue Men's Basketball(454122399)

Big Ten Men's Basketball

This would be LEGENDARY from @CoachUnderwood at the @MFinalFour 😂 @IlliniMBB https://t.co/poaZqCNCCW

Tweet 2040203407214969273

Illinois Men's Basketball

Handsome Squidward on the mic 🤣 https://t.co/8aZ4X5HOvj

Tweet 2040190977168568535

Illinois Men's Basketball(40941404)

Michigan Men's Basketball

Focused on the task at hand. https://t.co/bKPn4gw4qn

Tweet 2040187616784458149

Michigan Men's Basketball(22642626)

Maryland Men’s Basketball

Maryland

JY was ballin’ this season! 🔥 https://t.co/tyzuepfl2C

Tweet 2040177447400804466

Maryland Men’s Basketball(364460082)

Nebraska Basketball

Nebraska

Message from The Mayor 🗣️❤️ https://t.co/wrx4CZ1qCt

Tweet 2040178643683439035

Nebraska Basketball(30954864)

Will we see another Morez Johnson Jr. straight face interview (or two) in the @MFinalFour? 😐😂 @umichbball https://t.co/KVR3JOS0Aa

Tweet 2040159725380112724

The dream is becoming a reality. https://t.co/bGydGLeqyO

Tweet 2040148394828554330

Wolverines getting that @MFinalFour work in Friday 💪  @umichbball 

PREDICT their final score vs. Arizona ⬇️ https://t.co/P6UYygEg1L

Tweet 2040140138949361916

🔶 @IlliniMBB had practice painted ORANGE at the @MFinalFour 👏 https://t.co/0XIiucSRFR

Tweet 2040141579986354688

<div class="payload-richtext"><a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/">
 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL  
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/stats/">
   BIG TEN STATISTICS  
 </a>  •  <a href="https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings?sport_code=MBB&division=1">
    NCAA STATISTICS
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/schedule/">
 BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS  
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/standings/">
   BIG TEN STANDINGS
 </a> <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">
 NCAA AP TOP 25 POLL  
 </a>  •  <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/basketball/ncaab/coaches-poll#gnt-rf">
   NCAA USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/article/59648/">
 MEN'S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON CENTRAL
 </a><a href="https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/Big-Ten-MBB-Weekly-Release-040126-Final2.pdf">
 WEEKLY RELEASE - APRIL 1
 </a>Big Ten. Big News.<ul class="list-bullet"><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="1"
 >For the ninth time in NCAA Tournament history, two Big Ten teams have advanced to the NCAA Final Four. No. 3 seed Illinois will face No. 2 seed Connecticut at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, while No. 1 seeds Michigan and Arizona to meet in the nightcap. This is the first time two Big Ten teams have reached the national semifinal since Michigan State and Wisconsin appeared in the 2015 Final Four.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="2"
 >Dating back to the first NCAA Tournament in 1939, the Big Ten has made 51 appearances in the Final Four, tying the ACC for the most of any conference. This will be the sixth appearance for Illinois and the first for head coach Brad Underwood, while Michigan will make its ninth appearance. This is also the second Final Four for Michigan head coach Dusty May, who took Florida Atlantic to the semifinal in 2023.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="3"
 >Illinois secured its place in Saturday’s national semifinal with a 71-59 win over Big Ten rival Iowa in Saturday’s South Region final. Freshman Keaton Wagler was named Region Most Outstanding Player after scoring a game-high 25 points, while classmate Andrej Stojakovic added 17 points. After a 51-51 deadlock with 7:14 remaining, the Illini outscored the Hawkeyes 20-8 to run away with the win. Iowa did not score in the final two minutes, while Illinois finished on an 8-0 run.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="4"
 >Michigan advanced to the Final Four after scoring a 95-62 win over No. 6 seed Tennessee in Sunday’s Midwest Region final in Chicago. Midwest Region Most Outstanding Player Yaxel Lendeborg paced the Wolverines with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a pair of blocked shots to lead seven players with at least eight points. Michigan cruised through the Midwest regional, winning its four games by an average of 22.5 points. </li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="5"
 >Ten Big Ten players were named to their respective NCAA Tournament All-Regional Teams after this weekend’s regional championships. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Midwest Region and was joined on the team by Elliot Cadeau and Roddy Gayle Jr. Likewise, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler claimed Most Outstanding Player honors in the South Region. Wagler was joined by teammates Andrej Stojakovich and David Markovic, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, and Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort. Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith were also selected to the All-West Region Team.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="6"
 >Two Big Ten teams, Minnesota and Rutgers, will begin their postseasons on Wednesday, and Thursday, respectively, as both have been selected to compete in the College Basketball Crown. The single elimination eight team tournament, which takes place Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, April 5. Winners from Wednesday and Thursday’s first round games will meet in Saturday’s semifinal round (1:30 p.m./4 p.m. ET), with the championship slated for 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Games on Wednesday and Thursday will air on FS1, with the semifinals and final slated to air on FOX.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="7"
 >Minnesota will begin its tournament on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET, when it faces Baylor in the first-ever matchup of the two teams. The contest will air on FS1 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Wednesday’s game will mark the Golden Gophers’ first postseason action since the 2024 National Invitation Tournament. Senior Cade Tyson, who was recently named to the NABC All-District Second Team, leads Minnesota with 16.9 points per game, sixth in the Big Ten.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="8"
 >Rutgers will make its first postseason appearance since the 2023 National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, when it faces Creighton. Tip is slated for 10:30 p.m. ET at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Winners of five of their last eight games, the Scarlet Knights will look to senior Tariq Francis, who leads the team with 16.9 points and 2.9 assists per game.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="9"
 >On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Athletic Club included four Big Ten players as it announced its 2026 All-American Team and the top five finalist for the Wooden Award. Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., and Purdue’s Braden Smith collected four of the 10 spots on the All-America Team, while Lendeborg and Smith were named as two of the Wooden Award’s five finalists. The Wooden Award winner will be announced next week. </li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="10"
 >A pair of Big Ten teams were represented as the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the finalists for the 2026awards. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was one of four finalists for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, joining Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and AJ Dybantsa (BYU). Michigan head coach Dusty May and Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg also joined Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Duke’s Jon Scheyer as the four finalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="11"
 >Illinois and Michigan became the second and third Big Ten teams to win every regional game by at least 10 points. Prior to this season, the only Big Ten team to accomplish the feat was the 2000 Michigan State Spartans.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="12"
 >The Big Ten has achieved unprecedented success in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The conference tied a league record with nine teams selected to participate in the tournament then tied an NCAA record with four teams advancing to the Elite Eight, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Purdue. The conference has also amassed 19 victories in the tournament, the most since the league earned 14 wins in 2013. Among those wins, eight have been more than 20 points, the most by any single conference in tournament history.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="13"
 >CBS Sports and TNT Sports have posted record viewership through Sunday’s Elite Eight round. The 2026 tournament is the most-watched tournament since 1993, averaging 10.3 million viewers across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV through the Elite Eight. The Sweet 16 early primetime window, which included the Michigan-Alabama game, averaged 14.2 million viewers, the largest viewership for that window since 1992. It has produced record-setting audiences, with the most-watched first round ever (9.5 million viewers) and the most watched second round since 1993 (11 million viewers). Thursday’s first round primetime window, including the Michigan-Howard game, averaged 12.5 million viewers, the most watched first round window ever, while Sunday’s early primetime window, which included the Iowa-Florida matchup) boasted 19.7 million viewers, the most watched window first week window in tournament history.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="14"
 >In Purdue’s first round tournament win over Queens, Purdue senior Braden Smith became the NCAA all-time leader in career assists, with his second assist of the victory vaulting Smith past Duke great Bobby Hurley’s 1,076 mark (1990-93). Smith closed his career with 1,103 career assists. Smith also recorded 5,067 minutes played in 149 career NCAA Tournament games, breaking Lionel Simmons’ mark of 5,045 (1987-90).</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="15"
 >The Boilermakers claimed their third Big Ten Tournament title with an 80-72 win over top seed Michigan on Sunday afternoon at the United Center in Chicago. The number seven seeded Boilermakers were led by Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who combined for 41 points, while Jim and Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player Braden Smith paired 14 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Smith was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Michigan’s Aday Mara, Cluff, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, and John Boyd.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="16"
 >The Purdue-Michigan Big Ten championship game averaged 4.716 million viewers for CBS, its largest viewing audience for the Big Ten Championship game since Ohio State-Wisconsin in 2013. The audience peaked at 6.207 million viewers, making it the most-watched conference championship game on any network in the last 30 years.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="17"
 >Michigan scored its 16th Big Ten championship, closing the regular season with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play. The 19 conference victories are the most in Big Ten history, besting the 18 wins by the 1974-75 and 1975-76 Indiana teams. The Wolverines (10-0) also joined the 1975-76 Hoosiers (9-0) as the only teams to go undefeated on the road.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="18"
 >The Big Ten recently announced its 2026 All-Big Ten Teams and awards. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named Player of the Year by both the coaches and media panel. Fellow Wolverine Aday Mara was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Illinois’ Keaton Wagler claimed Freshman of the Year honors. Nebraska’s Braden Frager claimed Sixth Man of the Year accolades. Wisconsin assistant coach Sharif Chambliss was named Howard Moore Assistant Coach of the Year, with Michigan’s Dusty May and Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg earning Coach of the Year recognition from the media and coaches, respectively. </li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="19"
 >The Big Ten opened NCAA Tournament play with six teams ranked in both the AP and USA Today/Coaches polls. Michigan leads the way on both listings at No. 3. In the AP poll, the Wolverines are followed by No. 8 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 13 Illinois, No. 15 Nebraska, and No. 19 Nebraska. The coaches list includes No. 11 Michigan State, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 Purdue, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 20 Wisconsin. UCLA and Ohio State also received votes in both polls.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="20"
 >The Big Ten closed its nonconference schedule with a record of 157-41, the second-best win percentage (.793) of any conference, behind only the Big 12 (.806). Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of an 118-4 (.967) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference.</li><li
 class=""
 style="text-align: justify;"
 value="21"
 >Entering the NCAA Tournament, Big Ten teams combined to win 94 Quad 1 games, most of any conference, with 17 teams scoring at least one Quad 1 win, and 69 Quad 2 victories. Michigan’s 17 Quad 1 wins are tied with Duke for the most in the nation, while the Wolverines are one of just three teams with a combined 22 Quad 1 and 2 victories. Michigan (22-3), Purdue (17-8), and Nebraska (15-6) are three of just 16 teams nationally with at least 15 combined Quad 1 and 2 wins. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="22"
 >Through games on Selection Sunday, the Big Ten boasted 13 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including three in the top 10 and nine in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten at No. 3, followed by No. 8 Illinois, No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 25 Wisconsin. Iowa, Ohio State, UCLA, and Indiana also claimed spots in the top 50.</li></ul></div>

2026 MBB Final Four

B1G_News_Feed_Logo.svg

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - April 1

NCAA MBB Postseason Graphic

2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Central

<div class="payload-richtext"><a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/">
 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL 
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/stats/">
  BIG TEN STATISTICS 
 </a>  •  <a href="https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings?sport_code=MBB&division=1">
   NCAA STATISTICS
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/schedule/">
 BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS 
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/standings/">
  BIG TEN STANDINGS
 </a> <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">
 NCAA AP TOP 25 POLL 
 </a>  •  <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/basketball/ncaab/coaches-poll#gnt-rf">
  NCAA USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/article/59648/">
 MEN'S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON CENTRAL
 </a><a href="https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/Big-Ten-MBB-Weekly-Release-032526-Final2.pdf">
 WEEKLY RELEASE - MARCH 25
 </a>Big Ten. Big News.<ul class="list-bullet"><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="1"
 >A Big Ten record six teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Purdue, just one team shy of the NCAA Tournament record. This marks the first time more than four teams have advanced to the tournament’s second round. A conference record, nine teams were selected to compete in the tournament, with Ohio State, UCLA, and Wisconsin falling short of the advancing to the second weekend. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="2"
 >On Thursday, Purdue will face Texas in San Jose, Calif. (7:10 p.m. CBS), while Houston will host three Big Ten teams, as Nebraska and Iowa (7:30 p.m. TBS) will meet before Illinois faces Houston (10:05 p.m. TBS). On Friday, Michigan will play Alabama in Chicago (7:30 p.m. TBS), with Michigan State and Connecticut to meet in Washington D.C. at 9:45 p.m. (CBS). </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="3"
 >Following dominant victories over No. 14 seed Penn (105-70) in the first round and No. 11 seed VCU (76-55) in the second last week in Greenville, S.C., No. 3 seed Illinois will make its 13th all-time appearance in the Sweet 16 when it faces No. 2 seed Houston on Thursday in Houston (9:05 p.m. CT on TBS). The Illini are playing in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons. This is the first time in more than 20 years that Illinois has made two Sweet 16 appearances in a three-year span, since a run of four Sweet 16s in five years from 2001-05.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="4"
 >Alvaro Folgueiras game-winning three-pointer gave No. 9 seed Iowa a 73-72 win over No. 1 seed and defending NCAA champion Florida and sent the Hawkeyes to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999. The Hawkeyes will face a familiar foe on Thursday night in Houston, as they meet No. 4 seed Nebraska. In four career games in March Madness, Bennett Stirtz is averaging 17.8 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds with .412/.286/.785 shooting splits. He has played 40 minutes in each of the four games. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="5"
 >Michigan will make its ninth Sweet 16 appearance in its last 10 NCAA Tournament appearances on Friday, when it faces #4 Alabama at the United Center in Chicago. The Wolverines totaled 196 points during the opening weekend in Buffalo, cruising past No. 16 seed Howard (101-80) and No. 9 seed Saint Louis (95-72) to reach the Sweet 16. Head coach Dusty May will take a team Sweet 16 for the third time in the last four seasons, including consecutive appearances with Michigan (2025, 2026) after guiding Florida Atlantic to a Final Four run in 2023.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="6"
 >Powered by a program NCAA Tournament record 16 assists from Jeremy Fears Jr. in its 77-69 win over No. 6 seed Louisville, Michigan State will head to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row and the 17th time overall under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans will face the winner of No. 2 seed Connecticut on Friday in the East Regional semifinal in Washington, D.C.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="7"
 >Nebraska will look to extend its record-breaking season on Thursday, when it faces No. 9 seed Iowa in Houston. The Huskers earned the program’s first two NCAA Tournament wins last week, extending their current postseason win streak to six games, The Huskers are led by junior Pryce Sandfort, who is averaging 19.0 points per game on 55 percent shooting, including 10-of-18 from three-point range. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="8"
 >Coming off a pair of double-digit wins in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Purdue looks to keep it going when it faces 11th-seeded Texas on Thursday in San Jose, Calif. The Boilermakers are making their third straight Sweet 16 appearance and seventh in the last nine tournaments. During its current six game win streak, dating back to the Big Ten Tournament, Purdue has trailed for just 20 minutes. During those six games, Purdue has trailed for a total of 1:41 in the second half (Miami, Fla.).</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="9"
 >Through two rounds, the 2026 NCAA Tournament is averaging 10.1 million viewers across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. It has produced record-setting audiences, with the most-watched first round ever (9.5 million viewers) and the most watched second round since 1993 (11 million viewers). Thursday’s primetime window, including the Michigan-Howard game, averaged 12.5 million viewers, the most watched first round window ever, while Sunday’s early primetime window, which included the Iowa-Florida matchup) boasted 19.7 million viewers, the most watched window first week window in tournament history. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="10"
 >In Friday’s opening round win over Queens, Purdue senior Braden Smith became the NCAA all-time leader in career assists, with his second assist of the victory vaulting Smith past Duke great Bobby Hurley’s 1,076 mark (1990-93). On Sunday, Smith became the third player in NCAA Tournament history to have at least 100 points, 100 assists and 50 rebounds in NCAA Tournament play, joining Kansas' Aaron Miles and North Carolina's Ed Cota.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="11"
 >A pair of Big Ten coaches also reached milestones over the weekend. On Saturday, Illinois’ Brad Underwood earned his 300th Division I victory. Purdue’s Matt Painter scored his 500th victory on the Boilermakers’ bench on Sunday, joining Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Indiana’s Bobby Knight, and Purdue’s Gene Keady as the only Big Ten coaches with 500 wins at a Big Ten school.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="12"
 >Four student-athletes and three coaches were recognized by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday, as the group announced the semifinalists for the Naismith Awards. Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, and Purdue’s Braden Smith were among 10 players named as semifinalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award, while Lendeborg joined teammate Aday Mara as semifinalists for the Defensive Player of the Year honor. Michigan’s Dusty May, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, and Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg were also listed among the 10 Naismith Coach of the Year nominees. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="13"
 >Two Big Ten teams, Minnesota and Rutgers, have also been selected to play in the 2026 College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, a single-elimination eight team contest, which takes place Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, April 5.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="14"
 >The Boilermakers claimed their third Big Ten Tournament title with an 80-72 win over top seed Michigan on Sunday afternoon at the United Center in Chicago. The number seven seeded Boilermakers were led by Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who combined for 41 points, while Jim and Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player Braden Smith paired 14 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Smith was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Michigan’s Aday Mara, Cluff, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, and John Boyd.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="15"
 >The Purdue-Michigan Big Ten championship game averaged 4.716 million viewers for CBS, its largest viewing audience for the Big Ten Championship game since Ohio State-Wisconsin in 2013. The audience peaked at 6.207 million viewers, making it the most-watched conference championship game on any network in the last 30 years. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="16"
 >Michigan scored its 16th Big Ten championship, closing the regular season with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play. The 19 conference victories are the most in Big Ten history, besting the 18 wins by the 1974-75 and 1975-76 Indiana teams. The Wolverines (10-0) also joined the 1975-76 Hoosiers (9-0) as the only teams to go undefeated on the road.</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="17"
 >The Big Ten recently announced its 2026 All-Big Ten Teams and awards. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named Player of the Year by both the coaches and media panel. Fellow Wolverine Aday Mara was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Illinois’ Keaton Wagler claimed Freshman of the Year honors. Nebraska’s Braden Frager claimed Sixth Man of the Year accolades. Wisconsin assistant coach Sharif Chambliss was named Howard Moore Assistant Coach of the Year, with Michigan’s Dusty May and Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg earning Coach of the Year recognition from the media and coaches, respectively.  </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="18"
 >The Big Ten opened NCAA Tournament play with six teams ranked in both the AP and USA Today/Coaches polls. Michigan leads the way on both listings at No. 3. In the AP poll, the Wolverines are followed by No. 8 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 13 Illinois, No. 15 Nebraska, and No. 19 Nebraska. The coaches list includes No. 11 Michigan State, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 Purdue, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 20 Wisconsin. UCLA and Ohio State also received votes in both polls. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="19"
 >The Big Ten closed its nonconference schedule with a record of 157-41, the second-best win percentage (.793) of any conference, behind only the Big 12 (.806). Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of an 118-4 (.967) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference. </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="20"
 >Entering the NCAA Tournament, Big Ten teams combined to win 94 Quad 1 games, most of any conference, with 17 teams scoring at least one Quad 1 win, and 69 Quad 2 victories. Michigan’s 17 Quad 1 wins are tied with Duke for the most in the nation, while the Wolverines are one of just three teams with a combined 22 Quad 1 and 2 victories. Michigan (22-3), Purdue (17-8), and Nebraska (15-6) are three of just 16 teams nationally with at least 15 combined Quad 1 and 2 wins.  </li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="21"
 >Through games on Selection Sunday, the Big Ten boasted 13 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including three in the top 10 and nine in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten at No. 3, followed by No. 8 Illinois, No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 25 Wisconsin. Iowa, Ohio State, UCLA, and Indiana also claimed spots in the top 50.</li></ul></div>

NCAA Sweet 16 Logo

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 25 (032526)

Smith PUR 0320

Smith Breaks NCAA Career Assist Mark in Tournament Opening Victory (032026)

<div class="payload-richtext">ROSEMONT, Ill. – Six Big Ten men’s basketball student-athletes have collected All-America honors this week.Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Purdue’s Braden Smtih have been named consensus First Team All-Americans, while Illinois’ Keaton Wagler garnered consensus Second Team honors, after collecting from the Associated Press (AP), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Sporting News, and US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).Each outlet also included Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. on its list of All-Americans, while Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton also received All-America Honorable Mention.This marks the 17th consecutive season that the Big Ten has boasted at least one consensus All-American.Lendeborg, who was also named Big Ten Player of the Year, anchored the Wolverines with 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 blocked shots, and 1.2 steals per game, while helping Michigan win its 16th Big Ten title and a program record 31 victories.This marks the second consecutive season with consensus All-America honors for Smith, who is averaging 14.0 points, 9.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. With 317 assists heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Purdue senior has already broken his own Big Ten single season assist mark and stands on the verge of breaking Bobby Hurley’s career assist mark.Wagler has reset the Illinois freshman scoring marks, with 573 points on the season. His 17.9 points per game are on pace to break the Illini all-time freshman scoring average record set in 1993-94. The freshman has recorded nine 20-point games, one shy of the program freshman record, and scored in double-figures in each of the last 24 games and 29 times this season.Fears, a redshirt sophomore, Fears leads Michigan State in scoring with 15.7 points per game and in assists, with 9.2 per game, which leads both the Big Ten and the nation. He ranks third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (89.3%) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.13). He is the only player in the country averaging at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists per game.Stirtz currently ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 20 points, including 18 20-point and three 30-point contests, to go along with 4.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He is currently the only player in the nation with at least 660 points, 145 assists, 80 three-pointers, 80 rebounds, and 45 steals.Thornton, the Buckeyes’ only four-time captain, leads Ohio State with 20.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. One of just four players nationally to average 20 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, Thornton recently passed Dennis Hopson to become Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer.Consensus All-America Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan – First Team Braden Smith, Purdue – First Team Keaton Wagler, Illinois – Second TeamSporting News All-America Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan – First Team Keaton Wagler, Illinois – Second Team Braden Smith, Purdue – Second Team Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State – Third TeamUSBWA All-America Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan – First Team Braden Smith, Purdue – First Team Keaton Wagler, Illinois – Second Team Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State – Third Team Bennett Stirtz, Iowa – Honorable MentionAP All-America Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan – First Team Keaton Wagler, Illinois – Second Team Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State – Second Team Braden Smtih, Purdue – Second Team Bennett Stirtz, Iowa – Honorable Mention Bruce Thornton, Ohio State – Honorable MentionUSBWA All-America Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan – First Team Braden Smith, Purdue – First Team Keaton Wagler, Illinois – Second Team Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State – Third TeamClick here to view the complete list of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-all-america-college-basketball-team-7bf9bc1f285621d8e66325fd4186d884">
 2025-26 AP All-America Teams
 </a>.Click here to view the complete list of <a href="https://nabc.com/nabc_releases/2026/nabc-division-i-all-america-teams-announced-3/">
 2025-26 NABC All-America honors
 </a>.Click here to view the complete list of <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/sporting-news-2025-26-college-basketball-all-america-team/391e27402aaeb1dc852f8d13">
 2025-26 Sporting News All-America honors
 </a>.Click here to view the complete list of <a href="https://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/news/2026/03/18/standout-freshmen-join-smith-lendeborg-headlining-2025-26-usbwa-mens-all-america-team">
 2025-26 USBWA All-America honors.
 </a>   </div>

Lendeborg MICH 1

Big Ten Scores 6 MAll-America Honors (031926)

<div class="payload-richtext"><a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/">
 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/stats/">
 BIG TEN STATISTICS
 </a>  •  <a href="https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings?sport_code=MBB&division=1">
  NCAA STATISTICS
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/schedule/">
 BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/standings/">
 BIG TEN STANDINGS
 </a> <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">
 NCAA AP TOP 25 POLL
 </a>  •  <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/basketball/ncaab/coaches-poll#gnt-rf">
 NCAA USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/article/59648/">
 MEN'S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON CENTRAL
 </a><a href="https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/Big-Ten-MBB-Weekly-Release-031826-NCAA.pdf">
 WEEKLY RELEASE - MARCH 18
 </a>Big Ten. Big News.<ul class="list-bullet"><li
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 >Nine Big Ten schools have been selected to compete in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, it was announced Sunday on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Show on CBS. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue, UCLA, and Wisconsin will all be taking part in this year’s tournament. All games will be televised on CBS Sports, TBS, TNT or truTV, with Big Ten teams tipping off on Thursday.</li><li
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 >Two Big Ten teams, Minnesota and Rutgers, have also been selected to play in the 2026 College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, a single-elimination eight team contest, which takes place Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, April 5.</li><li
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 >Purdue claimed its third Big Ten Tournament title with an 80-72 win over top seed Michigan on Sunday afternoon at the United Center in Chicago. The number seven seeded Boilermakers were led by Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who combined for 41 points, while Jim and Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player Braden Smith paired 14 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Smith was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Michigan’s Aday Mara, Cluff, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, and John Boyd.</li><li
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 >Sunday’s Purdue-Michigan championship game averaged 4.716 million viewers for CBS, its largest viewing audience for the Big Ten Championship game since Ohio State-Wisconsin in 2013. The audience peaked at 6.207 million viewers, making it the most-watched conference championship game on any network in the last 30 years. </li><li
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 >Michigan scored its 16th Big Ten championship, closing the regular season with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play. The 19 conference victories are the most in Big Ten history, besting the 18 wins by the 1974-75 and 1975-76 Indiana teams. The Wolverines (10-0) also joined the 1975-76 Hoosiers (9-0) as the only teams to go undefeated on the road.</li><li
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 >Six Big Ten players collected All-America honors this week. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg collected First Team accolades from the Associated Press (AP), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Sporting News, and US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). Purdue’s Braden Smith was also named to the First Team by the NABC and USBWA, while Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. and Keaton Wagler also received All-America recognition. Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton received Honorable Mention from the AP, while the USBWA included Stirtz on its Honorable Mention list.  </li><li
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 >Last week, the Big Ten announced its 2026 All-Big Ten Teams and awards. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named Player of the Year by both the coaches and media panel. Fellow Wolverine Aday Mara was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Illinois’ Keaton Wagler claimed Freshman of the Year honors. Nebraska’s Braden Frager claimed Sixth Man of the Year accolades. Wisconsin assistant coach Sharif Chambliss was named Howard Moore Assistant Coach of the Year, with Michigan’s Dusty May and Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg earning Coach of the Year recognition from the media and coaches, respectively.  </li><li
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 >The Big Ten will open NCAA Tournament play with six teams ranked in both the AP and USA Today/Coaches polls. Michigan leads the way on both listings at No. 3. In the AP poll, the Wolverines are followed by No. 8 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 13 Illinois, No. 15 Nebraska, and No. 19 Nebraska. The coaches list includes No. 11 Michigan State, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 Purdue, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 20 Wisconsin. UCLA and Ohio State also received votes in both polls. </li><li
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 >The Big Ten closed its nonconference schedule with a record of 157-41, the second-best win percentage (.793) of any conference, behind only the Big 12 (.806). Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of an 118-4 (.967) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference. </li><li
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 >Entering Thursday’s NCAA Tournament games, Big Ten teams have combined to win 94 Quad 1 games, most of any conference, with 17 teams scoring at least one Quad 1 win, and 69 Quad 2 victories. Michigan’s 17 Quad 1 wins are tied with Duke for the most in the nation, while the Wolverines are one of just three teams with a combined 22 Quad 1 and 2 victories. Michigan (22-3), Purdue (17-8), and Nebraska (15-6) are three of just 16 teams nationally with at least 15 combined Quad 1 and 2 wins.  </li><li
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 >Through games on Selection Sunday, the Big Ten boasts 13 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including three in the top 10 and nine in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten at No. 3, followed by No. 8 Illinois, No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 25 Wisconsin. Iowa, Ohio State, UCLA, and Indiana also claimed spots in the top 50.</li><li
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 >Milestone Watch... Purdue’s Braden Smith sits just two assists shy of breaking Bobby Hurley’s career assist record of 1,076. Smith is the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 career rebounds, currently with 1,865 points, 1,075 assists and 661 rebounds... Congratulations to Ohio State’s Devin Royal and USC’s Jordan Marsh, who recently scored their 1,000th career points... Illinois head coach Brad Underwood enters tournament play with 298 career wins, while Purdue head coach Matt Painter owns 498 wins on the Boilermakers’ sideline. </li></ul></div>

March Madness

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 18-22

<div class="payload-richtext">ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference recognized a total of 1,127 students on winter sports rosters who have been named to the <a href="https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/Winter2026AcademicAllBigTenFINAL.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
 Academic All-Big Ten Team
 </a> Wednesday. The list of honorees includes 83 men’s and 119 women’s basketball students, 98 men’s ice hockey students, 59 men’s and 146 women’s gymnastics students, 154 men’s and 251 women’s swim and dive students, and 217 wrestling students. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team (as verified by being on the official squad list as of March 1 for fall sports), have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Among the winter Academic All-Big Ten honorees, 30 had unblemished GPAs: Men’s Basketball  Jacob Koch, Iowa, Sophomore, Business Direct Administration, Iowa City, Iowa Women’s Basketball  Emma Shumate, Michigan State, Senior, Sustainable Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Dresden Ohio  Sammy White, Northwestern, Graduate Student, Sports Communication Cert, Timonium, Md.  Men’s Gymnastics  Jax Washburn, Illinois, Sophomore, Community Health, Portland, Ore.  Kellen Ryan, Penn State, Graduate Student, Engineering, Janesville, Wis.  Women’s Gymnastics  Chloe Cho, Illinois, Sophomore, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Santa Clarita, Calif.   Aurelie Tran, Iowa, Sophomore, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada  Kaia Vanney, Iowa, Senior, Interdepartmental Studies, Redondo Beach, Calif.  Eva Volpe, Iowa, Junior, Public Health, Pearland, Texas  Sarah Moraw, Minnesota, Graduate Student, Human Rsrc/Indus Rel M H R I R, Holland, Mich.   Megan Steensland, Minnesota, Graduate Student, Sport Management M Ed, Chaska, Minn.  Mika Webster-Longin, UCLA, Sophomore, History, Richmond, Calif. Men’s Swim and Dive  Taye Ghadiali, Michigan, Graduate Student, Social Work, Warren, Mich.  Joe Polyak, Minnesota, Junior, Biochemistry B S, Iowa City, Iowa Women’s Swim and Dive  Mary Kate Cavanaugh, Indiana, Sophomore, Finance, Longmont, Colo.  Brady kendall, Michigan, Graduate Student, Pharmacy PharmD, Canton, Mich.  Letitia Sim, Michigan, Senior, Applied Exercise Science, Spanish Fort, Ala.  Jade Roghair, Minnesota, Senior, Neuroscience B S, Iowa City, Iowa  Rachel Bockrath, Ohio State, Sophomore, Biology, Wilmington, Del.   Delia Lloyd, Ohio State, Sophomore, Biology, Toronto, Canada  Caroline Frazier, Purdue, Sophomore, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Spring, Texas  Elena Dry, UCLA, Junior, Molecular, Cell and Development Biology, Raleigh, N.C. Wrestling  Dylan Connell, Illinois, Graduate, MS: Management, Marengo, Ill.  Charlie Fifield, Illinois, Graduate, MS: Management, Rolling Meadows, Ill.  Taye Ghadiali, Michigan, Graduate Student, Social Work, Warren, Mich.  Andy Hampton, Michigan State, RS-Senior, Media Analytics, Rochester, Mich.  Drew Roberts, Minnesota, RS-Senior, Non Degree, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho  Lucas Cochran, Penn State, Graduate Student, Real Estate Law & Valuation, Perry, Utah  Patrick Adams, Rutgers, Graduate Student, Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Old Bridge, N.J.  Cale Anderson, Wisconsin, Graduate Student, M.S. Kinesiology, Viroqua, Wis.  </div>

Winter Academic All-Big Ten 2026

Washington

Southern California

Oregon

Wisconsin

Penn State

Ohio State

Northwestern

Michigan State

Iowa

Indiana

Men’s Hockey

Women’s Basketball

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Men’s Gymnastics

Women’s Gymnastics

Wrestling

Big Ten Recognizes Winter Academic All-Big Ten Honorees 

<div class="payload-richtext">ROSEMONT, Ill. – On Tuesday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced its 2025-26 NABC Division I All-District Teams and District Coaches of the Year. The All-District honors are voted on by NABC-member coaches across NCAA Division I.Among the honorees were 25 student-athletes and coaches from 15 Big Ten schools, including Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg and Michigan head coach Dusty May, who were named Central and Great Lakes District Coaches of the Year, respectively.The NABC introduced a new model for its Division I district alignment last season, with schools arranged by state rather than by conference. The modernized NABC Division I district alignment features 10 geographic regions that each encompass multiple states. Every Division I school in each given state belongs to that state’s corresponding district.<a href="https://nabc.com/nabc_releases/2026/nabc-announces-division-i-all-district-teams-coaches-of-the-year-2/">
 Click here to view the complete list of NABC All-District honors 
 </a>.Central District Coach of the Year – Fred Hoiberg, NebraskaFirst Team Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska Bennett Stirtz, IowaSecond Team Rienk Mast, NebraskaEast District First Team Bruce Thornton, Ohio StateGreat Lakes District Coach of the Year – Dusty May, MichiganFirst Team Keaton Wagler, Illinois Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State Nick Martinelli, Northwestern Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Braden Smith, Purdue John Blackwell, Wisconsin Nick Boyd, Wisconsin Second Team David Mirkovic, Illinois Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan Aday Mara, Michigan Cade Tyson, Minnesota Fletcher Loyer, PurdueMid Atlantic District Second Team Tariq Francis, RutgersPacific District First Team Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA Donovan Dent, UCLA Chad Baker-Mazara, USC Hannes Steinbach, WashingtonSecond Team Nate Bittle, Oregon</div>

NABC 

NABC Tabs 25 from Big Ten with All-District Honors (031826)

<div class="payload-richtext">ROSEMONT, Ill. – Two Big Ten teams have been selected to play in the 2026 College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. Minnesota and Rutgers will compete in the single-elimination eight team contest, which takes place Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, April 5.The Golden Gophers will face Baylor on Wednesday, April 1 at 10:30 p.m. ET, while the Scarlett Knights will meet Creighton at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 2. Both games will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tickets for the Crown are available now at VividSeats.com.Winners of Wednesday and Thursday’s quarterfinals will advance to the Crown semifinals on Saturday, April 4, with the champion decided one day later. Both the semifinal and championship games will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.Nebraska won the inaugural College Basketball Crown last season, topping Central Florida 77-66.The event’s first and second round contests will be broadcast on FS1, with the semifinals and championship slated for FOX. All of the games will also be available on the Fox Sports app.</div>

College Basketball Crown

Minnesota, Rutgers Selected to Compete in College Basketball Crown (031826)

<div class="payload-richtext"><a href="https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket">
 View 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket
 </a>ROSEMONT, Ill. – Nine Big Ten teams heard their names called on Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show on CBS,  as the NCAA announced the 68 teams selected to participate in the 2025-26 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. This is the third time the Big Ten has sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament, matching the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Only three times in tournament history has a conference sent more than nine teams.Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue, UCLA, and Wisconsin will all be taking part in this year’s tournament. All games will be televised on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV beginning on Tuesday night.Purdue earned the Big Ten’s automatic bid after topping Michigan 80-72 in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Boilermakers earned a No. 2 seed and will face Queens (N.C.) on Friday in St. Louis.The Big Ten will open NCAA Tournament play on Thursday, as No. 8 seed Ohio State face No 9 seed TCU in Greenville, S.C. A match-up between No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 14 seed Penn will close the first day’s action in Greenville.Buffalo will also host a pair of games featuring Big Ten teams, as No. 3 seed Michigan State will meet No. 14 seed North Dakota State, followed by a match-up between No. 1 seed Michigan and the winner of a First Four contest between UMBC and Howard.Also on Thursday, No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 13 seed Troy will meet in Oklahoma City, while No. 5 seed Wisconsin will play No. 15 seed High Point in Portland.On Friday night, No. 9 seed Iowa and No. 8 seed Clemson will match wits in Tampa, while No. 7 seed UCLA will meet No. 10 Central Florida in Philadelphia.First round winners will advance to play on Saturday and Sunday.The 2026 Final Four is scheduled for April 4 in Indianapolis, with the national championship game slated for Monday, April 6.2026 NCAA Tournament First Round Games Thursday, March 19 #8 Ohio State vs. #9 TCU, 12:15 p.m. on CBS (Greenville, S.C.) #4 Nebraska vs. #13 Troy, 12:40 p.m. on TruTV (Oklahoma City, Okla.) #5 Wisconsin vs. #12 High Point, 1:50 p.m. on TBS (Portland, Ore.) #3 Michigan State vs. #14 North Dakota State, 4:05 p.m. on. TNT (Buffalo, N.Y.) #1 Michigan vs. #16 UMBC/Howard, 7:10 p.m. on CBS (Buffalo, N.Y.) #3 Illinois vs. #14 Penn, 9:25 p.m. on TNT (Greenville, S.C.) Friday, March 20 #9 Iowa vs. #8 Clemson, 6:50 p.m. on. TNT (Tampa, Fla.) #7 UCLA vs. #10 Central Florida, 7:25 p.m. on TBS (Philadelphia, Pa.) #2 Purdue vs. #15 Queens (N.C.), 7:35 p.m. on TruTV (St. Louis, Mo.)</div>

2026 MBB NCAA Tourney

9 Big Ten Teams Selected to Participate in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (031526)

<div class="payload-richtext">CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar Cluff scored 21 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 20 and No. 18 Purdue topped No. 3 Michigan 80-72 on Sunday for the Big Ten Tournament championship. Braden Smith had 14 points, 11 assists and three steals as Purdue (27-8) added to an impressive turnaround after closing the regular season with four losses in six games. Fletcher Loyer made three 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2023 and third time overall. They lost to the Wolverines in the final in 1998 and 2018. Yaxel Lendeborg scored 20 points for top-seeded Michigan (31-3), which beat Purdue 91-80 in their regular-season meeting on Feb. 17. Aday Mara had 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Wearing No. 41 after his No. 3 jersey ripped early in the game, Smith helped the Boilermakers seize control by deftly running the pick and roll with Kaufman-Renn in the second half. The senior point guard has 1,075 career assists, just one shy of Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record. Two jumpers by Kaufman-Renn off passes from Smith powered Purdue to a 55-44 lead with 12:55 left. After Elliot Cadeau scored for Michigan, the 6-foot Smith drove inside, drew a foul on the 7-3 Mara and scored, drawing a big cheer from the Purdue fans in the crowd at the United Center. The Boilermakers made nine of their first 11 shots in the second half. They shot 15 for 26 in the second half overall. Cadeau finished with 10 points and 10 assists for Michigan, which won the Big Ten tourney in 2025. Playing in his hometown, Nimari Burnett scored 12 points. Purdue used a 12-2 run to take a 38-34 lead late in the first half. But Cadeau found Mara for an alley-oop dunk and converted a tying layup in the final seconds.2026 TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball All-Tournament Team Aday Mara, Michigan  Oscar Cluff, Purdue  Braden Smith, Purdue  John Blackwell, Wisconsin  Nick Boyd, Wisconsin Jim & Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player Braden Smith, Purdue<h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2></div>

MBB - Purdue Champions

Purdue Wins the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship

2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament

<div class="payload-richtext">CHICAGO, Illinois – As part of the celebration of the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament in Chicago, the conference announced a variety of community initiatives in the city.  The tournament, welcoming all 18 Big Ten teams for the first time, tips off on Tuesday, March 10, at the United Center with a champion crowned on Sunday, March 15 (2:30pm CT; CBS).“As the Big Ten hosts tournaments and championships throughout the country, we want to leave a meaningful mark on the communities that welcome us,” said Omar Brown, Senior Vice President for Community & Impact. "Our partnership with the city of Chicago, because this is our home, extends well beyond just our events and we're thrilled to highlight many this week."In partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation, Brilliance and Excellence, and My Brother’s Keeper Chicago, the Big Ten announced that Edmund Burke Elementary School in the Washington Park neighborhood will receive a $50,000 grant to renovate a shared space.The conference also awarded three Chicago schools – South Shore Fine Arts Academy, O’Keeffe School of Excellence and Brunson Technology – a $5,000 School Improvement Grant, and an additional $1,000 to award to a teacher to support meaningful enhancement of their classroom. The Big Ten announced these awards in-person at each school on Tuesday morning.“We’re honored that the Big Ten Conference and other community partners are giving back to Chicago by supporting our most important investment - our Chicago Public Schools’ students,” said CPS Interim Superintendent/CEO Dr. Macquline King. “Thanks to these thoughtful grants, students at these schools will enjoy improved classroom spaces and opportunities to grow as lifelong learners.”During Tuesday’s opening round games at the United Center, tipping off at 4pm CT, the Big Ten will host more than 100 Chicago community leaders. On Wednesday the conference will host more than 100 Chicago Public Schools students to enjoy the competition.Throughout the week, students from these schools and others will have the opportunity to compete in scrimmages on the United Center floor during halftime of tournament games. Burke Elementary students will get things started during Tuesday’s first game, with O’Keeffe following on Wednesday, Brunson on Thursday, and Beasley Academic Center during Friday’s quarterfinals.    The conference’s previous work with Milton Brunson Math and Science Specialty Elementary School has included the opportunity for its student journalists to attend Big Ten Volleyball and Basketball Media Days, engaging with student-athletes and coaches as part of a hands-on development experience.The 2026 TIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 11, at 4pm CT when Maryland takes on Oregon, followed by Northwestern versus Penn State. All seating for the 29th edition of the tournament is reserved. Fan can purchase all-session and single session at the United Center box office or online at <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com%2Fbig-ten-mens-basketball-tournament-tickets%2Fartist%2F861770&data=05%7C02%7Cpkennedy%40bigten.org%7Cb2664bcc2bfa41a86e1608de7d731bbb%7C5c35f07cce5e4fa582baa44898424550%7C1%7C0%7C639086130505138834%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Bnid%2Bg%2B5V6l6JZP05VZeCTAfwZY7eXa0ihI1at8bvgA%3D&reserved=0">
 Ticketmaster.com
 </a>. All ticket packages are subject to Ticketmaster and facility fees. For more information on this year’s tournament, visit the Big Ten Tournament Central page at <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bigten.org%2Fmbbt&data=05%7C02%7Cpkennedy%40bigten.org%7Cb2664bcc2bfa41a86e1608de7d731bbb%7C5c35f07cce5e4fa582baa44898424550%7C1%7C0%7C639086130505159506%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=gHGjMWheLH8epqrLmOVWMmN3YJq%2B1CLtPBjy66CZ5jM%3D&reserved=0">
 bigten.org/MBBT
 </a>.  ###</div>

Big Ten Conference Student-Athlete Issues Commission Calls for Limitations or Ban of Individual Prop Betting on  College Athletics

2026 MBTT Community Release

<div class="payload-richtext">ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Teams and individual award winners for the 2025-26 season. A total of 15 student-athletes were selected to the All-Big Ten teams by the coaches and the media. Additionally, 11 student-athletes were awarded honorable mention statusMichigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named Big Ten Player of the Year by both the league’s coaches and the media. Lendeborg is the sixth Wolverine to earn the honor and the first since Nik Stauskas in 2014Lendeborg stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocked shots, and 1.2 steals per game while averaging just shy of 30 minutes per game. The Pennsauken, N.J. native has scored in double figures in 24 of Michigan’s 31 games and secured north of 10 rebounds on seven occasions. Fellow Wolverine Aday Mara was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, joining two-time winner Gary Grant in 1987 and 1988. The sophomore leads the Big Ten ranks fifth in the country with 80 total blocked shots and 2.58 blocks per gameBoth the coaches and media selected Illinois’ Keaton Wagler as Freshman of the Year. Wagler averaged a team-leading 17.9 points and broke the Illinois freshman scoring record, previously held by Cory Bradford in 1998-99, also a previous Big Ten Freshman of the Year honoree. Wagler also joins D.J. Richardson (2010) and Kofi Cockburn (2020) as previous Illini Freshman of the YearNebraska freshman Braden Frager was named Sixth Man of the Year, a first for the Huskers. Frager’s 11.7 points per game were good for third on the team, while his 5.9 rebounds led the squad. A three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Frager posted six 20-point games this season, including a January 13th contest that saw him go 8-for-13 from three-point range.The coaches selected Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg as Coach of the Year. This is the second Big Ten Coach of the Yeah honor for Hoiberg, who has led the Huskers to a program record 15 Big Ten victories and 26 wins in total, tying the school record. The Huskers finished tied for second in the Big Ten regular-season standings, the program’s best finish since a runner-up showing in the Big Eight in 1992-93.The media chose Michigan’s Dusty May as its Coach of the Year. May led the Wolverines to the number one seed in the Big Ten Tournament and their 16th conference title. The Wolverines enter postseason play with a 29-2 record, highlighted by 24 wins by double figures, including 13 by 20 or more, 10 by 30 or more, and a Big Ten-record seven victories by 40 or more points, along with one win by 50 or more points.Wisconsin assistant coach Sharif Chambliss is this year’s recipient of the Howard Moore Assistant Coach of the Year Award. A former Wisconsin captain, Chambliss has spent the last five seasons on the Badger bench. Chambliss, who helped the Badgers secure the 2022 Big Ten regular season title remains active in the Madison community by volunteering for the Badger Challenge, Balance and Believe, Garding Against Cancer events, among others.The Howard Moore Award, which honors former Wisconsin student-athlete and assistant coach Howard Moore, is presented to a men’s basketball assistant coach who demonstrates commitment to the development of student-athletes on and off the court; who has made a measurable contribution to the betterment of their community; and who has shown a commitment to diversity and inclusion. The recipient shall have made a demonstrable positive impact on the lives of those with whom they interact.Moore has had an impact on the Big Ten Conference at all levels, playing on the Wisconsin basketball team from 1992-95, holding an assistant coaching role for the Badgers from 2006-10 and 2016-19 and serving as an analyst on the Big Ten Network. His impact extends far beyond basketball where his Moore Foundation was an extension of the way he lives his life: being selfless and putting others first. His career was tragically cut short in May of 2019 when an accident with a drunk driver claimed the lives of his wife and daughter and left him with life-altering disabilities.The Big Ten also recognized 18 Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.The awards are voted on by conference coaches and a select media panel. The complete list of All-Conference honorees and individual award winners is below.   2025-26 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Honors As selected by Big Ten Coaches   PLAYER OF THE YEAR Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan  DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR Aday Mara, Michigan  FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Keaton Wagler, Illinois  SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR Braden Frager, Nebraska  COACH OF THE YEAR Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska HOWARD MOORE ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD Sharif Chambliss, Wisconsin FIRST TEAM Keaton Wagler, Illinois Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska Braden Smith, Purdue  SECOND TEAM Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana Bennett Stirtz, Iowa Nick Martinelli, Northwestern Bruce Thornton, Ohio State Nick Boyd, Wisconsin  THIRD TEAM Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan Aday Mara, Michigan Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA Hannes Steinbach, Washington John Blackwell, Wisconsin  HONORABLE MENTION David Mirkovic, Illinois Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State Cade Tyson, Minnesota Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska Rienk Mast, Nebraska Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Donovan Dent, UCLA  ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM David Mirkovic, Illinois KEATON WAGLER, Illinois Trey McKenney, Michigan Braden Frager, Nebraska Hannes Steinbach, Washington  ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM Kylan Boswell, Illinois Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan Aday Mara, Michigan Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska  2025-26 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honorees Jake Davis, ILL; Conor Enright, IND; Bennett Stirtz, IOWA; Collin Metcalf, MD; Will Tschetter, MICH; Carson Cooper, MSU; Bobby Durkin, MINN; Rienk Mast, NEB; Nick Martinelli, NU; Bruce Thornton, OSU; Sean Stewart, ORE; Josh Reed, PSU; Liam Murphy, PUR; Jahmichael Davis, RU; Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA; Terrance Williams II, USC; Zoom Diallo, WASH; Isaac Gard, WIS.  2025-26 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Honors As selected by Media Voting Panel PLAYER OF THE YEAR Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan  FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Keaton Wagler, Illinois COACH OF THE YEAR Dusty May, Michigan FIRST TEAM Keaton Wagler, Illinois Bennett Stirtz, Iowa YAXEL LENDEBORG, Michigan Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State Braden Smith, Purdue  SECOND TEAM Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska Nick Martinelli, Northwestern Bruce Thornton, Ohio State Nick Boyd, Wisconsin  THIRD TEAM Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana Aday Mara, Michigan Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA Hannes Steinbach, Washington John Blackwell, Wisconsin  HONORABLE MENTION Kylan Boswell, Illinois David Mirkovic, Illinois Elliot Cadeau, Michigan Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State Cade Tyson, Minnesota Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska Rienk Mast, Nebraska John Mobley Jr., Ohio State Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Tariq Francis, Rutgers Donovan Dent, UCLA Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS </div>

All B1G MBB Awards

Big Ten Announces 2026 Men’s Basketball Postseason Honors (031026)

<div class="payload-richtext">Player of the Week Bruce Thornton, Ohio State G – Sr. – 6-2 – Fairburn, Ga. - Milton<ul class="list-bullet"><li
 class=""
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 >Averaged 21.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds with no turnovers and shot 82.4 percent from the field in a pair of Buckeyes’ wins</li><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="2"
 >Scored 17 points on 7-of-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point distance with seven assists in a 94-62 win at Penn State</li><li
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 value="3"
 >Recorded a game-high 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven assists and a pair of steals in Ohio State’s 91-78 win over Indiana</li><li
 class=""
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 >Became the all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,110 points</li><li
 class=""
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 value="5"
 >Claims his fourth career Player of the Week award and third of the season</li><li
 class=""
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 >Last Ohio State Player of the Week: Bruce Thornton (February 23, 2026) </li></ul>Freshman of the Week Hannes Steinbach, Washington F – 6-11 – Würzburg, Germany – Würzburg Basket<ul class="list-bullet"><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="1"
 >Averaged 26.0 points and 18.5 rebounds, while shooting 78.3 percent from the field, as the Huskies went 1-1 on the week</li><li
 class=""
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 value="2"
 >Paired 22 points and 24 rebounds in Washington’s 91-74 win over USC, the Huskies’ third 20-20 game since 1977</li><li
 class=""
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 >Added a 26-point, 13-rebound performance in an 85-79 loss at Oregon</li><li
 class=""
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 >Garners his second consecutive Freshman of the Week honor and fourth of the season</li><li
 class=""
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 >Last Washington Freshman of the Week: Hannes Steinbach (March 2, 2026)</li></ul> 2025-26 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Players of the Week March 9 P: Bruce Thornton, OSU F: Hannes Steinbach, WASHMarch 2 P: Pryce Sandfort, NEB P: Nick Martinelli, NU F: Hannes Steinbach, WASHFeb. 23 P: Bruce Thornton, OSU F: Andre Mills, MDFeb. 16 P: Nick Boyd, WIS F: Keaton Wagler, ILLFeb. 9 P: Lamar Wilkerson, IND P: Bennett Stirtz, IOWA F: Alijah Arenas, USC Feb. 2 P: Bennett Stirtz, IOWA P: Jeremy Fears Jr., MSU F: Keaton Wagler, ILLJan. 26 P: Keaton Wagler, ILL P: Jeremy Fears, MSU F: Keaton Wagler, ILL Jan. 19 P: Diggy Coit, MD P: John Blackwell, WIS F: Braden Frager, NEB Jan. 12 P: Braden Smith, PUR P: Nick Boyd, WIS F: Keaton Wagler, ILL Jan. 5 P: Morez Johnson Jr., MICH P: Braden Smith, PUR F: Keaton Wagler, IL F: Hannes Steinbach, WASH Dec. 22 P: Tariq Francis, RUT P: Skyy Clark, UCLA F: Braden Frager, NEB Dec. 15 P: Lamar Wilkerson, IND P: Pryce Sandfort, NEB F: Keaton Wagler, ILL Dec. 8 P: John Blackwell, WIS F: Hannes Steinbach, WASH Dec. 1 P: Yaxel Lendeborg, MICH F: Kayden Mingo, PSU Nov. 24 P: Diggy Coit, MD F: Braden Frager, NEB Nov. 17 P: Braden Smith, PUR F: David Mirkovic, ILL Nov. 10 P: Tucker DeVries, IND P: Bruce Thornton, OSU F: David Mirkovic, ILL</div>

MBB POW 030926

 Ohio State and Washington Garner Men’s Basketball Weekly Laurels (030926)

<div class="payload-richtext">ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced the full bracket for the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, set to take place March 10-15 at the United Center in Chicago.   All seating for the 29th edition of the tournament is reserved. Fan can purchase all-session and single session at the United Center box office or online at <a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/big-ten-mens-basketball-tournament-tickets/artist/861770">
 Ticketmaster.com
 </a>. All ticket packages are subject to Ticketmaster and facility fees. For more information on this year’s tournament, visit the Big Ten Tournament Central page at <a href="http://www.bigten.org/mbbt">
 bigten.org/MBBT
 </a>.   All 17 games of this year’s Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast live, with Tuesday’s first round broadcast on Peacock. Wednesday’s first session will also air on Peacock, with Big Ten Network airing the day’s second session. Big Ten Network will also broadcast all eight third round and quarterfinal games on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The Big Ten Tournament semifinal and championship games will be televised live on CBS and the Paramount+ app.Michigan (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) earned the No. 1 seed and the program’s 16th Big Ten regular season title. The Wolverines are looking to become the first back-to-back Big Ten Tournament winners since they did it in 2017 and 2018.Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten) earned the No. 2 seed. This is the second top three Big Ten finish in the last three years, the first time that has happened for the Huskers in the Big Ten era and first the first time since the early 1990s (1990-91, 3rd; 1992-93, t-2nd).Michigan State (25-6, 15-5 Big Ten) claimed the No. 3 seed. The Spartans are led by its four captains, Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr, and Jeremy Fears Jr., who have combined for 64.2% of the team's scoring (1,567 of 2,442 points) and average nearly 50 points, 24 rebounds and 13 assists per game.Illinois (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten) secured the No. 4 seed after posting 15 conference wins to tie the 2022 Illinois squad for second most league wins in program history, one shy of the team mark set in 2021. It’s 24 wins are also the most during the regular season in program history.Each of the tournament’s top four seeds have earned triple-byes and will open tournament play in Friday’s quarterfinal round.   The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule is as follows:   Tuesday, March 10 (First Round) Game 1 (#17 Maryland vs. #16 Oregon) – 4 p.m. CT (Peacock) Game 2 (#18 Penn State vs. #15 Northwestern) – 25 minutes following Game 1 (Peacock) Wednesday, March 11 (Second Round) Game 3 (#9 Iowa vs. Game 3 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (Peacock) Game 4 (#12 Washington vs. #13 USC) – 25 minutes following Game 3 (Peacock) Game 5 (#10 Indiana vs Game 2 winner) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN) Game 6 (#11 Minnesota vs. #14 Rutgers) – 25 minutes following Game 5 (BTN)Thursday, March 12 (Third Round) Game 7 (#8 Ohio State vs. Game 3 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN) Game 8 (#5 Wisconsin vs. Game 4 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 7 (BTN) Game 9 (#7 Purdue vs. Game 5 winner)– 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN) Game 10 (#6 UCLA vs. Game 6 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 9 (BTN)Friday, March 13 (Quarterfinals) Game 11 (#1 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN) Game 12 (#4 Illinois vs. Game 8 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 11 (BTN) Game 13 (#2 Nebraska vs. Game 9 winner) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN) Game 14 (#3 Michigan State vs. Game 10 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 13 (BTN)Saturday, March 14 (Semifinals) Game 15 (Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner) – 12 p.m. CT (CBS) Game 16 (Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 15 (CBS)Sunday, March 15 (Championship) Game 14 (Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner) – 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS)   NOTES: All times are approximate and subject to change … BTN games are also available on the FOX Sports app … CBS games are also available on the Paramount+ app … for more information, please visit the tournament web site at (<a href="http://www.bigten.org/mbbt">
 bigten.org/MBBT
 </a>).  </div>

MBBT Bracket 0308

Big Ten Unveils 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket (030826)

<div class="payload-richtext"><a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/">
 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL     
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/stats/">
      BIG TEN STATISTICS     
 </a>  •  <a href="https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings?sport_code=MBB&division=1">
      NCAA STATISTICS
 </a> <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/schedule/">
 BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS     
 </a>  •  <a href="https://bigten.org/mbb/standings/">
      BIG TEN STANDINGS
 </a> <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">
 NCAA AP TOP 25 POLL     
 </a>  •  <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/basketball/ncaab/coaches-poll#gnt-rf">
      NCAA USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
 </a><a href="https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/Big-Ten-MBB-Weekly-Release-030326-Final.pdf">
 WEEKLY RELEASE - MARCH 3
 </a>Big Ten. Big News.<ul class="list-bullet"><li
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 >Michigan captured the 2025-26 Big Ten Men’s Basketball title last week, the 16th in program history, improving to 17-1 in conference play after wins over Minnesota and Illinois. The Wolverines have also secured the number one seed in the upcoming TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament and one of four triple byes. Michigan will open tournament play in Friday’s quarterfinal round.</li><li
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 >Entering the final week of the regular season, Michigan State and Nebraska are tied for second in the Big Ten standings at 14-4, followed by Illinois at 13-5, with Purdue and Wisconsin tied for fourth at 12-6. UCLA stand in seventh at 11-7, with Iowa and Ohio State tied for eighth at 10-8.</li><li
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 >The Big Ten closed its nonconference schedule with a record of 157-41, the second-best win percentage (.793) of any conference, behind only the Big 12 (.806). Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of an 118-4 (.967) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference.</li><li
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 >Entering Tuesday’s games, Big Ten teams have combined to win 73 Quad 1 games, with 17 teams scoring at least one Quad 1 win, and 85 Quad 2 victories. At 11-1, Michigan joins Arizona (14-2), Duke (13-2), and Florida (11-1) as the only teams with 10 Quad 1 wins, while the Wolverines join Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Purdue in a group of 12 teams with at least eight Quad 1 wins. The Big Ten also boasts seven teams in a group of 33 nationally with at least 10 Quad 1 and 2 wins: Michigan (21-2), Michigan State (15-5), Illinois (14-7), Nebraska (12-4), Purdue (12-7), Wisconsin (12-9), and Iowa (10-8).</li><li
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 >Through games on Monday, March 2, the Big Ten boasts 12 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including three in the top 10 and 10 in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten at No. 2, followed by No. 5 Illinois, No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, and No. 12 Nebraska. Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State, UCLA, and Indiana also claimed spots in the top 50.</li><li
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 >Seven Big Ten teams were ranked or received votes in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls released on Monday, March 2, including five ranked in the top 15. Michigan leads the way at No. 3 in both polls, followed by Michigan State at No. 8, Nebraska at No. 9, and Illinois at No. 11. The AP listed Purdue at No. 15, while the coaches included the Boilermakers at No. 14. Wisconsin and Ohio State also received votes.</li><li
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 >On Monday, Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort and Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli were named Big Ten Co-Players of the Week. Sandfort averaged 24 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.0 assists, while shooting 50 percent from the field in a 2-0 week for Nebraska. The junior earned his second Player of the Week nod after pairing 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a 74-61 win over Maryland. Sandfort closed the week with 32 points, including 20 in the second half, and six rebounds in an 82-67 win at USC.</li><li
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 >Martinelli earned his third Player of the Week honor after averaging 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the week as Northwestern claimed a pair of wins. The senior forward posted 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and hit the game-winning bucket in a 63-62 win over Oregon. He closed the week scoring 21 of his 28 points in the second half of a 72-68 victory at Indiana.</li><li
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 >Freshman Hannes Steinbach recorded back-to-back 20-point double-doubles and shot north of 70 percent from the field to lead Washington to a 1-1 week. A three-time Freshman of the Week, Steinbach paired 24 points and a career-best 16 rebounds in the Huskies’ 79-72 win at Rutgers. In a 90-73 loss to Wisconsin, Steinbach tallied 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 boards.</li><li
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 >Milestone Watch... Congratulations to Purdue’s Braden Smith who recently recorded his 1,000th career assist. Smith enters this week ranked fourth on the NCAA Div. I all-time assists list, 65 assists behind NCAA record holder Bobby Hurley (1,076)... Congratulations to UCLA’s Skyy Clark and Minnesota’s Bobby Durkin, who recently scored their 1,000th career points... Congratulations to Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who recently became the fifth active Div. I player with 1,000 career rebounds... Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson is 61 points shy of recording his 2,00th career point... Illinois head coach Brad Underwood owns 296 career victories.</li><li
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 >The 29th annual TIAA Big Ten Tournament will be played at the United Center in Chicago, March 10th – 15th, 2026. For the first time, all 18 Big Ten teams will compete for the tournament title. The tournament will open with a pair of games on Tuesday, March 10 and culminate with championship on Sunday March 15.  </li></ul></div>

Washington 1

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 3-9

<div class="payload-richtext">Co-Player of the Week Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska  F – Jr. – 6-7 – Waukee, Iowa – Waukee Northwest<ul class="list-bullet"><li
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 >Averaged 24 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.0 assists, while shooting 50 percent from the field in a 2-0 week for Nebraska</li><li
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 >Paired 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a 74-61 win over Maryland</li><li
 class=""
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 >Tallied 32 points, including 20 in the second half, and six rebounds in an 82-67 win at USC</li><li
 class=""
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 >Earns second Player of the Week honor</li><li
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 >Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Pryce Sandfort (December 15, 2025)</li></ul>Co-Player of the Week Nick Martinelli, Northwestern F – Sr. – 6-7 – Glenview, Ill. – Glenbrook South<ul class="list-bullet"><li
 class=""
 style=""
 value="1"
 >Averaged 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the week as Northwestern claimed a pair of wins</li><li
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 >Posted 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and hit the game-winning bucket in a 63-62 win over Oregon</li><li
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 >Scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half of a 72-68 victory at Indiana</li><li
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 >Claims his third Player of the Week award</li><li
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 >Last Northwestern Player of the Week: Nick Martinelli (March 3, 2025)</li></ul>Freshman of the Week Hannes Steinbach, Washington F – 6-11 – Würzburg, Germany – Würzburg Basket<ul class="list-bullet"><li
 class=""
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 >Recorded back-to-back 20-point double-doubles and shot north of 70 percent from the field to lead Washington to a 1-1 week</li><li
 class=""
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 >Paired 24 points and a career-best 16 rebounds in the Huskies’ 79-72 win at Rutgers</li><li
 class=""
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 value="3"
 >Tallied 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 boards in a 90-73 loss to Wisconsin  </li><li
 class=""
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 >Garners his third Freshman of the Week honor</li><li
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 >Last Washington Freshman of the Week: Hannes Steinbach (January 5, 2025)</li></ul>2025-26 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Players of the Week March 2 P: Pryce Sandfort, NEB P: Nick Martinelli, NU F: Hannes Steinbach, WASHFeb. 23 P: Bruce Thornton, OSU F: Andre Mills, MDFeb. 16 P: Nick Boyd, WIS F: Keaton Wagler, ILLFeb. 9 P: Lamar Wilkerson, IND P: Bennett Stirtz, IOWA F: Alijah Arenas, USC Feb. 2 P: Bennett Stirtz, IOWA P: Jeremy Fears Jr., MSU F: Keaton Wagler, ILLJan. 26 P: Keaton Wagler, ILL P: Jeremy Fears, MSU F: Keaton Wagler, ILLJan. 19 P: Diggy Coit, MD P: John Blackwell, WIS F: Braden Frager, NEBJan. 12 P: Braden Smith, PUR P: Nick Boyd, WIS F: Keaton Wagler, ILLJan. 5 P: Morez Johnson Jr., MICH P: Braden Smith, PUR F: Keaton Wagler, ILL F: Hannes Steinbach, WASHDec. 22 P: Tariq Francis, RUT P: Skyy Clark, UCLA F: Braden Frager, NEBDec. 15 P: Lamar Wilkerson, IND P: Pryce Sandfort, NEB F: Keaton Wagler, ILLDec. 8 P: John Blackwell, WIS F: Hannes Steinbach, WASHDec. 1 P: Yaxel Lendeborg, MICH F: Kayden Mingo, PSUNov. 24 P: Diggy Coit, MD F: Braden Frager, NEB Nov. 17 P: Braden Smith, PUR F: David Mirkovic, ILL Nov. 10 P: Tucker DeVries, IND P: Bruce Thornton, OSU F: David Mirkovic, ILL</div>

Big Ten Men’s Basketball News

Headlines

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - April 1

2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Central

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 25

Smith Breaks NCAA Career Assist Mark in Tournament Opening Victory

Big Ten Scores 6 Men's Basketball All-America Honors

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 18-22

Big Ten Recognizes Winter Academic All-Big Ten Honorees

NABC Tabs 25 with All-District Honors

Minnesota, Rutgers Selected to Compete in College Basketball Crown

9 Big Ten Teams Selected to Participate in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Purdue Wins the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship

Big Ten Conference Impacts Chicago Community During 2026 TIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Big Ten Announces 2026 Men’s Basketball Postseason Honors

Ohio State and Washington Garner Men’s Basketball Weekly Laurels

Big Ten Unveils 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 3-9

Nebraska, Northwestern, Washington Score Men’s Basketball Weekly Awards

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