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Doug McSchooler/Associated Press
The 2022 Big Ten tournament is already off to an exciting start, and the conference’s top four teams haven’t even been in action. On Thursday, three of the four second-round matchups were decided by five or fewer points, while No. 11-seeded Penn State provided a big upset by defeating No. 6 Ohio State.
Now, there are eight teams remaining, four of which are the Nos. 1-4 seeds that received a double bye into the quarterfinals and have yet to take the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Friday’s winners will move on to Saturday’s semifinal contests, and the championship game will take place on Sunday.
Illinois is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tourney and is looking to win the event for the second year in a row. The Fighting Illini play in Friday’s opening matchup in which they’ll be facing No. 9-seeded Indiana.
Here’s everything else you need to know heading into the quarterfinals of this year’s Big Ten tournament.
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Friday, March 11
No. 1 Illinois vs. No. 9 Indiana, 11:30 a.m. ET, Big Ten Network
No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 5 Iowa, 2 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 7 Michigan State, 6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 11 Penn State, 9 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Games can be streamed live on the Fox Sports app.
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Michael Allio/Associated Press
Of the top four seeds in this year’s Big Ten tournament, No. 4 Rutgers may be the most likely to lose in Friday’s quarterfinals. The Scarlet Knights are a solid team, but they’re going to face a serious challenge going up against No. 5 Iowa.
The Hawkeyes have won nine of their past 11 games, which includes a 112-76 victory over No. 12-seeded Northwestern in the second round of the conference tourney on Thursday. It was the only matchup of the day that was a blowout, as Iowa cruised to an easy win and into the quarterfinals.
When Rutgers and Iowa played on Jan. 19, the Scarlet Knights pulled out a 48-46 win. They held Hawkeyes sophomore forward Keegan Murray to 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
It’s unlikely Rutgers will contain the 21-year-old again, as he’s been on a tear of late, having scored 21 or more points in 11 of his past 12 games. He had 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting to go along with eight rebounds for Iowa in Thursday’s win.
Murray will have a big game to help the Hawkeyes avenge their previous loss to the Scarlet Knights. And it’s possible Iowa will pull away in the second half for a sizable victory, as it will prove it’s the better team even if it wasn’t seeded as such.
Meanwhile, No. 1 Illinois should have no trouble taking down No. 9 Indiana. The Fighting Illini notched a 17-point victory over the Hoosiers on Feb. 5, and they’re too talented to get taken down in their first game of the Big Ten tourney.
That will set up a semifinal matchup between Illinois and Iowa on Saturday. It will be an opportunity for the Hawkeyes to potentially get more revenge, as they lost to the Fighting Illini twice during the regular season. But Illinois is going to be a tough team to beat in this tournament, as it will prove against Indiana.
Predictions: Illinois beats Indiana; Iowa beats Rutgers.
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Andy Manis/Associated Press
On the bottom half of the Big Ten tournament bracket, there may not be any surprises on Friday. No. 2-seeded Wisconsin and No. 3 Purdue are facing lesser opponents, and it’s likely neither will face much adversity when taking the court for the first time in Indianapolis.
Wisconsin is taking on No. 7 Michigan State after the two teams split their regular-season series, with the road team winning each time. The Spartans earned an 86-74 victory on Jan. 21, while the Badgers avenged that defeat with a 70-62 win on Feb. 8.
While Wisconsin closed the regular season with seven wins in its final nine games, Michigan State lost seven of 10. One of the Spartans’ only victories during that stretch came in their regular-season finale against Maryland, and then they defeated the Terrapins again in the second round of the Big Ten tourney.
The biggest concern for the Badgers was the status of sophomore guard Johnny Davis, who suffered a right ankle sprain in their regular-season finale against Nebraska. But he told reporters he is planning to play in the Big Ten tournament, and Wisconsin is a much better team when he’s on the court.
Expect the 20-year-old to play well enough for the Badgers to beat the Spartans, even if he isn’t at 100 percent for the matchup.
Purdue shouldn’t have much trouble advancing to a semifinals matchup against Wisconsin. The Boilermakers are facing No. 11-seeded Penn State, which is the only one of the four teams that played in the first round still in the tournament.
Although the Nittany Lions have taken down No. 14 Minnesota and No. 6 Ohio State the past two days, they’re going to have trouble against Purdue, which beat Penn State by seven points on the road on Jan. 8.
Wisconsin and Purdue are the two best teams in the bottom half of the tournament bracket, and it will be intriguing to watch them face off in the semifinals on Saturday.
Predictions: Wisconsin beats Michigan State; Purdue beats Penn State.
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