In a furious finish where two teams tied for the conference crown and four points separated first from eighth, the Big Ten men’s conference tournament will be an epic battle.

Work to Do: Indiana, Penn State, Northwestern, Michigan State

With no Big Ten team guaranteed an at-large bid as things stand, the top four teams still have work to do. Indiana and Penn State did well to share the regular season trophy, but each has had too many poor results, like the run in mid-September where Indiana won just once from six games. And for Northwestern and Michigan State- both saw undefeated starts unravel late into the season- with the Spartans winning two from their last eight and Northwestern losing three of the final four. A first-round win is the minimum for these four to feel safe in an at-large bid.

Win and In: Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Rutgers

At this point in the season, with none of the top four teams having particularly impressive resumes, the only path for these four is to win the conference tournament. Two teams that will be confident in the run-up are Michigan and Ohio State, considering they each lost just once against the top four seeds.

Quarterfinals (Nov. 3) Preview:

No. 8 Wisconsin at No. 1 Indiana

These two met in the regular season, but considering it was back in mid-September, there is not much to take from that 0-0 draw. What we can learn from is Indiana’s six wins from seven to close out the regular season as one of the most in-form teams in the country, and if that carries into the post-season, Wisconsin may face too tall of a task.

No. 7 Rutgers at No. 2 Penn State

Penn State lost to Rutgers on October 17th, but that was in New Jersey, and this one will be in Pennsylvania. That detail carries major significance because Rutgers has won just one road game from eight tries.

No. 6 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan State

Michigan State will want revenge as a loss to Ohio State to close out the regular season ultimately cost them the Big Ten title. But for the Buckeyes, they won that game on the road, so they certainly won’t fear going back there for round 2 of what could be the most entertaining first-round matchup.

No. 5 Michigan at No. 4 Northwestern

Ten-win Northwestern finds itself at the 4-seed thanks to a late-season slide of one win from four, cumulating in a 3-0 loss at Michigan, which cost the team a Big Ten title. Revenge will be on the menu, and no better place than at home, where it has lost just once from ten games.

Final Notes

• Indiana and Penn State shared the regular season title.

• Indiana reached the national final last season.

• Rutgers returns as defending Big Ten tournament Champions.

• Indiana has won the most titles with 15, most recently in 2020, followed by Penn State with four, most recently in 2021.

• Each Big Ten team has won at least one conference tournament title.

• Penn State and Northwestern scored the most in Big Ten games with 13 goals each. 

• Penn State’s six conceded was the least in conference play.

• Peter Mangione of Penn State and Samuel Sarver of Indiana are tied for conference goals with five each.

• Hugo Bacharach of Indiana and Justin Weiss of Northwestern are tied for conference assists with three each.

• Isaiah Goldson of Michigan and Kristopher Shakes of Penn State lead the conference in shutouts with four.

• 5 TDS TOP 100 Players in Attendance: No. 34 Justin Weiss (Northwestern), No. 36 Laurence Wootton (Ohio State), No. 45 Hugo Bacharach (Indiana), No. 63 Zac Kelly (Michigan State), No. 96 Peter Mangione (Penn State).

• 13 TDS Top 100 Freshmen in Attendance: No. 2 Will Eby (Michigan State), No. 13 Collins Oduro (Indiana), No. 19 Caden Grabfelder (Penn State), No. 22 Isaiah Goldson (Michigan), No. 35 Ryan Quintos (Wisconsin), No. 41 Freddie Bell (Penn State), No. 45 Richard Fleming III (Wisconsin), No. 50 Mohamed Cisset (Penn State), No. 56 Alex Waggoner (Michigan), No. 71 Richie Ludwig (Michigan State), No. 89 Markie Hrvojevic (Wisconsin), No. 95 Samson Kpardeh (Penn State), No. 99 Colin Arce (Michigan State).

• The semifinals are November 8, and the final is on November 12.