# 2016 Big Ten men's basketball tournament

The 2016 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference held from March 9 through March 13 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the nineteenth annual Big Ten men's basketball tournament and was the second tournament to feature 14 teams of the expanded Big Ten, including Maryland and Rutgers. The championship was won by Michigan State who defeated Purdue in the championship game. As a result, Michigan State received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The win marked Michigan State's fifth tournament championship, the most tournament championships by any team in the Big Ten (Ohio State has won five championships as well, but one has been vacated). It was Michigan State's third straight appearance in the championship game and their fourth appearance in the championship in the prior five years. Denzel Valentine was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

## Seeds

All 14 Big Ten schools participated in the tournament. Teams were seeded by conference record, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with identical conference records. Seeding for the tournament was determined at the close of the regular conference season. The top 10 teams received a first round bye and the top four teams received a double bye. Tiebreaking procedures were unchanged from the 2015 tournament.
| Seed | School | Conf. | Tiebreaker 1 | Tiebreaker 2 | Tiebreaker 3 | Tiebreaker 4 |
| 1 | Indiana | 15–3 | | | | |
| 2 | Michigan State | 13–5 | | | | |
| 3 | Maryland | 12–6 | 3–2 vs Pur, Iowa, Wis | | | |
| 4 | Purdue | 12–6 | 3–3 vs MD, Iowa, Wis | 0–1 vs Ind | 1–0 vs MSU | 1–0 vs OSU |
| 5 | Iowa | 12–6 | 2–2 vs MD, Pur, Wis | 0–2 vs Ind | 2–0 vs MSU | 0–1 vs OSU |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 12–6 | 2–3 vs MD, Pur, Iowa | | | |
| 7 | Ohio State | 11–7 | | | | |
| 8 | Michigan | 10–8 | | | | |
| 9 | Northwestern | 8–10 | | | | |
| 10 | Penn State | 7–11 | | | | |
| 11 | Nebraska | 6–12 | | | | |
| 12 | Illinois | 5–13 | | | | |
| 13 | Minnesota | 2–16 | | | | |
| 14 | Rutgers | 1–17 | | | | |

## Schedule

| Session | Game | Time* | Matchup | Score | Television | Attendance |
| First round – Wednesday, March 9 |||||||
| 1 | 1 | 4:30 pm | No. 13 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Illinois | 52–85 | ESPN2 | 16,528 |
| 1 | 2 | 7:00 pm | No. 14 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Nebraska | 72–89 | BTN | 16,528 |
| Second round – Thursday, March 10 |||||||
| 2 | 3 | 12:00 pm | No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Northwestern | 72–70$^{OT}$ | BTN | 15,707 |
| 2 | 4 | 2:30 pm | No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 12 Illinois | 66–68 | BTN | 15,707 |
| 3 | 5 | 6:30 pm | No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Penn State | 79–75 | ESPN2 | 15,751 |
| 3 | 6 | 9:00 pm | No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 11 Nebraska | 58–70 | ESPN2 | 15,751 |
| Quarterfinals – Friday, March 11 |||||||
| 4 | 7 | 12:00 pm | No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Michigan | 69–72 | ESPN | 18,355 |
| 4 | 8 | 2:30 pm | No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 12 Illinois | 89–58 | ESPN | 18,355 |
| 5 | 9 | 6:30 pm | No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 7 Ohio State | 81–54 | BTN | 15,942 |
| 5 | 10 | 9:00 pm | No. 3 Maryland vs. No. 11 Nebraska | 97–86 | BTN | 15,942 |
| Semifinals – Saturday, March 12 |||||||
| 6 | 11 | 1:00 pm | No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 8 Michigan | 76–59 | CBS | 18,339 |
| 6 | 12 | 3:30 pm | No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Maryland | 64–61 | CBS | 18,339 |
| Championship – Sunday, March 13 |||||||
| 7 | 13 | 3:00 pm | No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 4 Purdue | 66–62 | CBS | 16,429 |
| *Game times in Eastern Time. Rankings denote tournament seed |||||||
* ↑ The United States begins Daylight saving time at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 13. As a result, times through the semifinal games are in Eastern Standard Time while the Championship game time is in Eastern Daylight Time.

## Game summaries
### First round

* ESPN2
* Mar 9 4:30 pm
* Recap
No. 12 Illinois 85, No. 13 Minnesota 52 :
| Scoring by half: 38–22, 47–30 |||
| Pts: Michael Finke 17 Rebs: Malcolm Hill 6 Asts: Jaylon Tate 4 | Pts: Charles Buggs 12 Rebs: Jordan Murphy 9 Asts: Jordan Murphy 3 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 16,528 Referees: Larry Scirotto, D.J. Carstensen, Chris Beaver
* BTN
* Mar 9 7:00 pm
* Recap
No. 11 Nebraska 89, No. 14 Rutgers 72 :
| Scoring by half: 37–33, 52–39 |||
| Pts: Shavon Shields 20 Rebs: Shavon Shields 11 Asts: Glynn Watson Jr. 5 | Pts: Mike Williams 14 Rebs: Jonathan Laurent, Greg Lewis 7 Asts: Bishop Daniels, Corey Sanders 4 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 16,528 Referees: Bill Ek, Paul Szeic, Bo Boroski

### Second round

* BTN
* Mar 10 12:00 pm
* Recap
No. 8 Michigan 72, No. 9 Northwestern 70 (OT) :
| Scoring by half: 34–25, 26–35 Overtime: 12–10 |||
| Pts: Duncan Robinson 21 Rebs: Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Zak Irvin 8 Asts: Derrick Walton Jr. 5 | Pts: Tre Demps 21 Rebs: Alex Olah 13 Asts: Bryant McIntosh 5 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,707 Referees: Gene Steratore, Chris Beaver, Ted Valentine
* BTN
* Mar 10 2:30 pm
* Recap
No. 5 Iowa 66, No. 12 Illinois 68 :
| Scoring by half: 35–37, 31–31 |||
| Pts: Peter Jok 29 Rebs: Adam Woodbury 10 Asts: Mike Gesell 8 | Pts: Jalen Coleman-Lands 17 Rebs: Maverick Morgan 7 Asts: Malcolm Hill 5 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,707 Referees: Larry Scirotto, Paul Szeic, Bo Boroski
* ESPN2
* Mar 10 6:30 pm
* Recap
No. 7 Ohio State 79, No. 10 Penn State 75 :
| Scoring by half: 37–34, 38–45 |||
| Pts: Marc Loving 24 Rebs: JaQuan Lyle 10 Asts: JaQuan Lyle 5 | Pts: Shep Garner 25 Rebs: Brandon Taylor, Shep Garner 5 Asts: Shep Garner 5 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,751 Referees: Bill Ek, D.J. Carstensen, Donnie Eppley
* ESPN2
* Mar 10 9:00 pm
* Recap
No. 6 Wisconsin 58, No. 11 Nebraska 70 :
| Scoring by half: 21–26, 37–44 |||
| Pts: Ethan Happ 17 Rebs: Vitto Brown 8 Asts: Bronson Koenig 4 | Pts: Shavon Shields 20 Rebs: Shavon Shields 9 Asts: Shavon Shields 2 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,751 Referees: Terry Wymer, Lamont Simpson, Steve McJunkins

### Quarterfinals

* ESPN
* Mar 11 12:00 pm
* Recap
No. 1 Indiana 69, No. 8 Michigan 72 :
| Scoring by half: 37–36, 32–36 |||
| Pts: Troy Williams 16 Rebs: Thomas Bryant 7 Asts: Yogi Ferrell 8 | Pts: Zak Irvin 17 Rebs: Zak Irvin 5 Asts: Derrick Walton Jr. 12 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 18,355 Referees: Ted Valentine, Paul Szelc, Chris Beaver
* ESPN
* Mar 11 2:30 pm
* Recap
No. 4 Purdue 89, No. 12 Illinois 58 :
| Scoring by half: 45–25, 44–33 |||
| Pts: Isaac Haas 16 Rebs: Caleb Swanigan 12 Asts: Johnny Hill 6 | Pts: Maverick Morgan 17 Rebs: Malcolm Hill 7 Asts: Four tied 2 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 18,355 Referees: Bill Ek, Lamont Simpson, D.J. Carstensen
* BTN
* Mar 11 6:30 pm
* Recap
No. 2 Michigan State 81, No. 7 Ohio State 54 :
| Scoring by half: 33–26, 48–28 |||
| Pts: Denzel Valentine 19 Rebs: Denzel Valentine 9 Asts: Denzel Valentine 8 | Pts: JaQuan Lyle 10 Rebs: Loving, Bates-Diop 6 Asts: Three Tied 2 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,942 Referees: Terry Wymer, Bo Boroski, Donnie Epley
* BTN
* Mar 11 9:00 pm
* Recap
No. 3 Maryland 97, No. 11 Nebraska 86 :
| Scoring by half: 54–37, 43–49 |||
| Pts: Jake Layman 26 Rebs: Diamond Stone 8 Asts: Melo Trimble 8 | Pts: Andrew White 25 Rebs: Michael Jacobson 6 Asts: Glynn Watson Jr. 3 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,942 Referees: Larry Scirotto, Gene Steratore, Robert Riley

### Semifinals

* CBS
* Mar 12 1:00 pm
* Recap
No. 4 Purdue 76, No. 8 Michigan 59 :
| Scoring by half: 38–30, 38–29 |||
| Pts: A. J. Hammons 27 Rebs: A. J. Hammons 11 Asts: Rapheal Davis 6 | Pts: Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 15 Rebs: Derrick Walton Jr. 6 Asts: Derrick Walton Jr. 5 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 18,339 Referees: Larry Scirotto, D.J. Carstensen, Ted Valentine
* CBS
* Mar 12 3:30 pm
* Recap
No. 2 Michigan State 64, No. 3 Maryland 61 :
| Scoring by half: 41–33, 23–28 |||
| Pts: Denzel Valentine 18 Rebs: Denzel Valentine 7 Asts: Denzel Valentine 10 | Pts: Robert Carter 18 Rebs: Robert Carter 8 Asts: Rasheed Sulaimon 3 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 18,339 Referees: Terry Wymer, Gene Steratore, Bo Boroski

### Championship

* CBS
* Mar 13 3:00 pm
No. 2 Michigan State 66, No. 4 Purdue 62 :
| Scoring by half: 36–26, 30–36 |||
| Pts: Denzel Valentine 15 Rebs: Denzel Valentine 10 Asts: Denzel Valentine 9 | Pts: Vincent Edwards 19 Rebs: A. J. Hammons 9 Asts: Rapheal Davis 3 |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 16,429 Referees: Terry Wymer, Gene Steratore, Ted Valentine

## Bracket

| First round Wednesday, March 9 ESPN2/BTN | First round Wednesday, March 9 ESPN2/BTN | First round Wednesday, March 9 ESPN2/BTN | Second round Thursday, March 10 ESPN2/BTN | Second round Thursday, March 10 ESPN2/BTN | Second round Thursday, March 10 ESPN2/BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 11 ESPN/BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 11 ESPN/BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 11 ESPN/BTN | | | Semifinals Saturday, March 12 CBS | Semifinals Saturday, March 12 CBS | Semifinals Saturday, March 12 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 13 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 13 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 13 CBS |
| | | | | | | 1 | Indiana | 69 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Michigan | 72* | 8 | Michigan | 72 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Northwestern | 70 | | | | | | 8 | Michigan | 59 | |
| | | | | | | | | | 4 | Purdue | 76 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Purdue | 89 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Iowa | 66 | 12 | Illinois | 58 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Illinois | 85 | 12 | Illinois | 68 | | | | | | | | 4 | Purdue | 62 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 52 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | 2 | Michigan State | 66 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Michigan State | 81 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Ohio State | 79 | 7 | Ohio State | 54 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Penn State | 75 | | | | | | 2 | Michigan State | 64 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | Maryland | 61 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Maryland | 97 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Wisconsin | 58 | 11 | Nebraska | 86 | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Nebraska | 89 | 11 | Nebraska | 70 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Rutgers | 72 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* denotes overtime period

## All-Tournament Team

* Denzel Valentine, Michigan State – Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player
* Zak Irvin, Michigan
* Shavon Shields, Nebraska
* Vincent Edwards, Purdue
* A. J. Hammons, Purdue