Big Ten Tournament bracket: Full TV schedule, channels, scores for 2026 men’s basketball tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Big Ten Tournament is always a must-see event in March, especially considering the championship game is the last game before brackets are revealed.
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This year’s Big Ten Tournament is the largest yet, with all 18 teams competing for the conference crown. After a tough regular season at Michigan State, the Wolverines are ready to defend their title in Chicago.
For some teams, this game is a chance to prove they belong in the NCAA Tournament, while others are just looking to improve their rankings.
Here’s how fans can watch the Big Ten Tournament in 2026.
Where to watch the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament
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TV channel: Big Ten Networks, CBS
The Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast on three different networks (see full schedule below). The first four games can be watched on Peacock, while the majority of games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Finally, the semi-finals and finals will air on CBS, hosted by Ian Eagle, Grant Hill and Bill Rafferty.
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Live coverage of the BTN and CBS games will be available on DIRECTV, and Paramount+ will also broadcast the semifinals and finals.
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2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament Schedule
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Dates: Tuesday, March 10th to Sunday, March 15th
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Place: Chicago United Center
This year’s Big Ten Championship will be held at the United Center in Chicago. All 18 teams will participate, with the worst four teams playing on Tuesday and the best four teams not playing until Friday.
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Tuesday, March 10: Round 1
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|
Game one: No. 17 Maryland No. 70, 16 Oregon 50 |
— |
— |
|
Game 2: NW 76 No. 15, 18 Pennsylvania State University 66 |
— |
— |
Wednesday, March 11: Round 2
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|
Game 3: No. 9 Iowa 7517th Maryland 64 |
— |
— |
|
Game 4: 12 Washington 83No. 13 USC 79(OT) |
— |
— |
|
Game 5: 15th Northwest 74No. 10 Indiana 61 |
— |
— |
|
Game 6: No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 14 Rutgers |
9pm |
BTN, Live TV |
Thursday, March 12: Round 3
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|
Game 7: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Iowa |
12 noon |
BTN, Live TV |
|
Game 8: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Washington State |
2:30 pm |
BTN, Live TV |
|
Game 9: No. 7 Purdue vs. No. 15 Northwestern |
6:30 pm |
BTN, Live TV |
|
Game 10: No. 6 UCLA vs. Game 6 winner |
9pm |
BTN, Live TV |
Friday 13 March: Quarterfinals
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|
Game 11: No. 1 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner |
12 noon |
BTN, Live TV |
|
Game 12: No. 4 Illinois vs. Game 8 winner |
2:30 pm |
BTN, Live TV |
|
Game 13: No. 2 Nebraska vs. Game 9 winner |
6:30 pm |
BTN, Live TV |
|
Game 14: No. 3 Michigan State vs. Game 10 winner |
9pm |
BTN, Live TV |
Saturday 14 March: Semifinals
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|
Game 15: Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner |
1 p.m. |
CBS, Paramount+, DIRECTV |
|
Game 16: Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 14 |
3:30 pm |
CBS, Paramount+, DIRECTV |
Sunday, March 15: Championship
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|
Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner |
3:30 pm |
CBS, Paramount+, DIRECTV |
2026 Big Ten Tournament Brackets
Seeds for the Big Ten tournament are determined by the Big Ten standings, which do not include non-conference games. The final seedings and brackets are below, and the full tournament schedule is below.
|
seed |
team |
Records (Top 10) |
|
1. |
michigan |
29-2 (19-1) |
|
2. |
nebraska |
26-5 (15-5) |
|
3. |
michigan state university |
25-6 (15-5) |
|
4. |
illinois |
24-7 (15-5) |
|
5. |
Wisconsin |
22-9 (14-6) |
|
6. |
UCLA |
21-10 (13-7) |
|
7. |
Purdue University |
23-8 (13-7) |
|
8. |
Ohio State University |
20-11 (12-8) |
|
9. |
Iowa |
20-11 (10-10) |
|
10. |
Indiana |
18-13 (9-11) |
|
11. |
minnesota |
15-16 (8-12) |
|
12. |
washington |
15-16 (7-13) |
|
13. |
University of Southern California |
18-13 (7-13) |
|
14. |
Rutgers University |
13-18 (6-14) |
|
15. |
northwestern university |
13-18 (5-15) |
|
16. |
oregon |
12-19 (5-15) |
|
17. |
Maryland |
11-20 (4-16) |
|
18. |
pennsylvania state university |
12-19 (3-17) |
