# 2018–19 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season

The 2018–19 Big Ten men's basketball season began with practices in October 2018, followed by the start of the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 6, 2018. The regular season ended on March 10, 2019.
The 2018–19 season marked the first time in Big Ten history that the teams played a 20-game conference schedule. With a win over Northwestern on March 9, 2019, Purdue won a share of the Big Ten regular season championship, its conference-leading 24th championship. Later that same day, Michigan State defeated Michigan to earn a share of the championship, marking back-to-back championships for the Spartans. Due to tie-breaking rules, Michigan State received the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten tournament.
The Big Ten tournament returned to its more traditional Midwest roots and was held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Tournament was held from March 13 through March 19, 2019. Michigan State won the Big Ten tournament championship, defeating Michigan for the third time on the season in the championship game.
Michigan State guard Cassius Winston was named Big Ten Player of the Year. Winston, Ethan Happ and Carsen Edwards were 2019 consensus All-Americans. Purdue coach Matt Painter was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth time and NABC Coach of the Year.
In addition to Michigan State, who received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the conference set a conference record by sending eight teams to the Tournament: Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio State. Michigan State advanced to the Final Four. The conference also sent two schools to the National Invitation Tournament: Indiana and Nebraska.
Following the season, Romeo Langford (14th overall), headlined a class of 6 Big Ten conference athletes that were drafted in the 2019 NBA draft. Michigan had two players drafted.

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes prior to the season

There were no coaching changes following the 2017–18 season.

### Coaches

The following are the preseason coaching summaries for all conference teams entering the 114th season of Big Ten Conference men's basketball. The table includes former NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament champion coach Tom Izzo and former Big Ten Conference champion coaches Izzo, John Beilein and Matt Painter. 10 of the 14 coaches have had NCAA tournament appearances at their current school.
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Big Ten record | Big Ten titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
| Illinois | Brad Underwood | Oklahoma State | 2 | 14–18 | 4–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | Archie Miller | Dayton | 2 | 16–15 | 9–9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | Fran McCaffery | Siena | 9 | 151–120 | 68–76 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Maryland | Mark Turgeon | Texas A&M | 8 | 157–81 | 49–30* | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | John Beilein | West Virginia | 12 | 248–143 | 111–87 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Michigan State | Tom Izzo | Michigan State (Asst.) | 24 | 574–225 | 269–122 | 8 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Minnesota | Richard Pitino | Florida International | 6 | 90–78 | 31–59 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | Tim Miles | Colorado State | 7 | 97–97 | 46–62 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Northwestern | Chris Collins | Duke (Asst.) | 6 | 88–77 | 36–54 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio State | Chris Holtmann | Butler | 2 | 25–9 | 15–3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Penn State | Pat Chambers | Boston University | 8 | 113–122 | 38–87 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Purdue | Matt Painter | Purdue (Assoc.) | 14 | 295–149 | 142–88 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Rutgers | Steve Pikiell | Stony Brook | 3 | 30–37 | 6–30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | Greg Gard | Wisconsin (Assoc.) | 4 | 57–36 | 31–23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Year at school includes 2018–19 season.
* Overall and Big Ten records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the season.
* Turgeon's ACC conference record excluded since Maryland began Big Ten Conference play in 2014–15.
* Source:

## Preseason

Big Ten players received significant preseason accolades. Carsen Edwards was named Preseason National Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP) and Ethan Happ joined him on the preseason AP All-American team.

### Preseason All-Big Ten

Prior to the conference's annual media day, unofficial awards and a preseason poll were chosen by a panel of 28 writers, two for each team in the conference. Michigan State was the consensus preseason selection to win the conference, receiving 22 of 28 first place votes.
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Michigan State (22) |
| 2 | Michigan (4) |
| 3 | Indiana (1) |
| 4 | Nebraska |
| 5 | Purdue (1) |
| 6 | Wisconsin |
| 7 | Maryland |
| 8 | Ohio State |
| 9 | Minnesota |
| 10 | Iowa |
| 11 | Penn State |
| 12 | Northwestern |
| 13 | Illinois |
| 14 | Rutgers |
| (first place votes) ||
On October 11, 2018, a panel of conference media selected a 10-member preseason All-Big Ten Team and Player of the Year. Junior Edwards who had averaged 18.5 points and tallied 97 three point shots as a sophomore was selected as player of the year. He and Happ were unanimous selections by the Big Ten Conference basketball media to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. Indiana and Michigan State each had two preseason All-Big Ten selections.
| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason Player of the Year | Carsen Edwards*, Purdue |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Carsen Edwards, Purdue |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Ethan Happ*, Wisconsin |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Romeo Langford, Indiana |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Juwan Morgan, Indiana |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Charles Matthews, Michigan |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Nick Ward, Michigan State |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Cassius Winston, Michigan State |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Jordan Murphy, Minnesota |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | James Palmer Jr., Nebraska |
| *Unanimous selections ||

### Preseason watchlists

Several Big Ten players were selected to notable preseason watchlists. Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.
| | Wooden | Naismith | Cousy | West | Erving | Malone | Abdul-Jabbar |
| Carsen Edwards, Purdue | Y | Y | Y | | | | |
| Ethan Happ, Wisconsin | Y | Y | | | | | Y |
| Romeo Langford, Indiana | Y | Y | | Y | | | |
| Charles Matthews, Michigan | Y | Y | | | | | |
| Juwan Morgan, Indiana | Y | Y | | | | Y | |
| Jordan Murphy, Minnesota | Y | Y | | | | Y | |
| James Palmer Jr., Nebraska | Y | Y | | Y | | | |
| Jalen Smith, Maryland | | | | | | | Y |
| Lamar Stevens, Penn State | | | | | Y | | |
| Nick Ward, Michigan State | Y | | | | | | Y |
| Aaron Wiggins, Maryland | | | | | Y | | |
| Cassius Winston, Michigan State | Y | Y | Y | | | | |

### Preseason national polls

| | Sporting News | AP | Athlon Sports | Blue Ribbon Yearbook | CBS Sports | Coaches | Lindy's Sports | NBC Sports | SBNation | Sports Illustrated |
| Illinois | | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | | | | | 23 | | 25 | | 25 | |
| Iowa | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Michigan | 10 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 18 |
| Michigan State | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 10 |
| Minnesota | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska | | | 25 | | | 25 | | | | |
| Northwestern | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ohio State | | | | | | | | | | |
| Penn State | | | | | | | | | | |
| Purdue | | 24 | | 19 | | 22 | 17 | | 22 | 20 |
| Rutgers | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin | | | | | | | | | | |
Five of the fourteen teams had multiple preseason publications name them as preseason top 25 selections. Michigan and Michigan State were included in every publication that was found to publish a list during this season. Michigan State had several top ten selections. Purdue, Indiana, Nebraska and Maryland also had media support in preseason polls. Michigan's only top 10 selection was The Sporting News, which was also Maryland's only top 25 selection.

## Regular season
### 2018 ACC–Big Ten Challenge (Tied 7–7)

| Date | Time | ACC team | B1G team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Challenge leader |
| Nov 26 | 7:00 pm | Clemson | Nebraska | 68–66 | Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, South Carolina | ESPN2 | 6,974 | B1G (1–0) |
| Nov 26 | 9:00 pm | Boston College | Minnesota | 68–56 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN2 | 4,389 | Tied (1–1) |
| Nov 27 | 7:00 pm | Notre Dame | Illinois | 76–74 | Edmund P. Joyce Center • South Bend, Indiana | ESPNU | 8,053 | ACC (2–1) |
| Nov 27 | 7:00 pm | No. 13 Virginia Tech | Penn State | 63–62 | Bryce Jordan Center • University Park, Pennsylvania | ESPN2 | 8,373 | Tied (2–2) |
| Nov 27 | 7:30 pm | Louisville | No. 9 Michigan State | 82–78 $^{OT}$ | KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, Kentucky | ESPN | 15,477 | ACC (3–2) |
| Nov 27 | 9:00 pm | NC State | No. 22 Wisconsin | 79–75 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | ESPN2 | 17,012 | Tied (3–3) |
| Nov 27 | 9:00 pm | Pittsburgh | No. 14 Iowa | 69–68 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena • Iowa City, Iowa | ESPNU | 10,158 | B1G (4–3) |
| Nov 27 | 9:30 pm | No. 3 Duke | Indiana | 90–69 | Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, North Carolina | ESPN | 9,314 | Tied (4–4) |
| Nov 28 | 7:00 pm | Miami | Rutgers | 57–54 | Watsco Center • Coral Gables, Florida | ESPNU | 6,376 | B1G (5–4) |
| Nov 28 | 7:00 pm | Syracuse | No. 16 Ohio State | 72–62 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | ESPN2 | 16,962 | Tied (5–5) |
| Nov 28 | 7:30 pm | No. 4 Virginia | No. 24 Maryland | 76–71 | Xfinity Center • College Park, Maryland | ESPN | 17,950 | ACC (6–5) |
| Nov 28 | 9:15 pm | No. 15 Florida State | No. 19 Purdue | 73–72 | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center • Tallahassee, Florida | ESPN2 | 9,978 | ACC (7–5) |
| Nov 28 | 9:15 pm | Georgia Tech | Northwestern | 67–61 | Welsh-Ryan Arena • Evanston, Illinois | ESPNU | 6,378 | ACC (7–6) |
| Nov 28 | 9:30 pm | No. 11 North Carolina | No. 7 Michigan | 84–67 | Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, Michigan | ESPN | 12,707 | Tied (7–7) |
| Winners are in bold Game times in EST Wake Forest did not play due to the ACC having one more team than the B1G. |||||||||

### 2018 Gavitt Tipoff Games (Big Ten 5–3)

| Date | Time | Big East team | Big Ten team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Leader |
| Tue., Nov. 13 | 6:30 PM | Xavier | Wisconsin | 77–68 | Cintas Center • Cincinnati, OH | FS1 | 10,312 | Big Ten (1–0) |
| Tue., Nov. 13 | 8:30 PM | Georgetown | Illinois | 88–80 | State Farm Center • Champaign, IL | FS1 | 14,656 | Tied (1–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 14 | 6:30 PM | No. 8 Villanova | No. 18 Michigan | 73–46 | Finneran Pavilion • Villanova, PA | FS1 | 6,501 | Big Ten (2–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 14 | 7:30 PM | Seton Hall | Nebraska | 80–57 | Pinnacle Bank Arena • Lincoln, NE | BTN | 15,713 | Big Ten (3–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 14 | 8:30 PM | No. 24 Marquette | Indiana | 96–73 | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, IN | FS1 | 17,222 | Big Ten (4–1) |
| Thu., Nov. 15 | 7:00 PM | Creighton | Ohio State | 69–60 | CHI Health Center Omaha • Omaha, NE | FS1 | 17,146 | Big Ten (5–1) |
| Thu., Nov. 15 | 9:00 PM | DePaul | Penn State | 72–70 $^{OT}$ | Wintrust Arena • Chicago, IL | FS1 | 3,926 | Big Ten (5–2) |
| Fri., Nov. 16 | 7:00 PM | St. John's | Rutgers | 84–65 | Louis Brown Athletic Center • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | 7,102 | Big Ten (5–3) |
| WINNERS ARE IN BOLD. Game Times in EST. Rankings from AP Poll (Nov 12). Did not participate: Butler; Providence (Big East); Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue (Big Ten) |||||||||

### Rankings

Weekly sourced rankings can be found at the above article. Several Big Ten teams were among the preseason ranked teams in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue and Nebraska were ranked in at least one poll, while Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin also received votes. After the regular season Michigan State, Michigan (both top 10), Purdue and Wisconsin were in the AP Poll. After the season the final Coaches Poll was published they continued to be ranked as was Maryland and Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State received votes.
Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| | | Pre/ Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Wk 20 | Final |
| Illinois | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Illinois | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25T | 22 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 25 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | C | RV | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 24 | 25 | RV | | | | | | | | | |
| Iowa | AP | | | 20 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | RV | 23 | 19 | RV | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | | | | n/a |
| Iowa | C | | | 22 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 20T | 25 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 21 | RV | | | RV |
| Maryland | AP | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | RV | RV | | | RV | 19 | 13 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 17 | 24 | 21 | RV | n/a |
| Maryland | C | RV | | RV | RV | 23 | 23 | 24 | RV | | | 22 | 16 | 24 | RV | 25 | 25T | 20 | 24 | 21 | RV | 22 |
| Michigan | AP | 19 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5(1) | 4(1) | 2(9) | 2(9) | 2(9) | 2(9) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 8 | n/a |
| Michigan | C | 18 | | 8 | 5 | 5(1) | 5(3) | 5(3) | 4(4) | 4(4) | 4(6) | 4(6) | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 11 |
| Michigan State | AP | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 (2) | 6 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 5 | n/a |
| Michigan State | C | 10 | | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Minnesota | AP | | | | RV | | RV | RV | | | RV | RV | | RV | | | | | | | | n/a |
| Minnesota | C | | | RV | RV | | | | | | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | RV |
| Nebraska | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | 25 | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska | C | 25 | | 24 | RV | 25 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23T | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ohio State | AP | | RV | 23 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | RV | | | | | | | | | | n/a |
| Ohio State | C | | | 23 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 17 | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | RV |
| Penn State | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Penn State | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Purdue | AP | 24 | 23 | 24 | 16 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 17 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | n/a |
| Purdue | C | 22 | | 19 | 16 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | | | RV | RV | 18 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 8 |
| Rutgers | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rutgers | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin | AP | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 21 | n/a |
| Wisconsin | C | RV | | RV | 22 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 23T | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 24 |

### Player of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices named one or two players of the week and one or two freshmen of the week each Monday. On December 18, Juwan Morgan earned United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week recognition.
| Week | Player of the week | Freshman of the week |
| November 12, 2018 | Carsen Edwards, PUR | Jalen Smith, MD |
| November 12, 2018 | Ethan Happ, WISC | Jalen Smith, MD |
| November 19, 2018 | Ethan Happ (2), WISC | Romeo Langford, IND |
| November 26, 2018 | Cassius Winston, MSU | Gabe Kalscheur, MINN |
| November 26, 2018 | Ethan Happ (3), WISC | Gabe Kalscheur, MINN |
| December 3, 2018 | Jordan Poole, MICH | Iggy Brazdeikis, MICH |
| December 10, 2018 | Carsen Edwards (2), PUR | Romeo Langford (2), IND |
| December 10, 2018 | Ethan Happ (4), WISC | Iggy Brazdeikis (2), MICH |
| December 17, 2018 | Juwan Morgan, IND | Jalen Smith (2), MD |
| December 24, 2018 | Kaleb Wesson, OSU | Daniel Oturu, MINN |
| December 31, 2018 | Cassius Winston (2), MSU | Iggy Brazdeikis (3), MICH |
| January 7, 2019 | Nick Ward, MSU | Romeo Langford (3), IND |
| January 14, 2019 | Bruno Fernando, MD | Romeo Langford (4), IND |
| January 21, 2019 | Cassius Winston (3), MSU | Joe Wieskamp, IOWA |
| January 28, 2019 | Cassius Winston (4), MSU | Iggy Brazdeikis (4), MICH |
| January 28, 2019 | Jordan Murphy, MINN | Iggy Brazdeikis (4), MICH |
| February 4, 2019 | Carsen Edwards (3), PUR | Joe Wieskamp (2), IOWA |
| February 11, 2019 | Giorgi Bezhanishvili, ILL | Ayo Dosunmu, ILL |
| February 18, 2019 | Jordan Murphy (2), MINN | Ayo Dosunmu (2), ILL |
| February 25, 2019 | Cassius Winston (5), MSU | Daniel Oturu (2), MINN |
| March 4, 2019 | Amir Coffey, MINN | Ron Harper Jr., RUT |
| March 10, 2019 | Juwan Morgan (2), IND | Jalen Smith (3), MD |
| March 10, 2019 | Amir Coffey (2), MINN | Jalen Smith (3), MD |

### Early season tournaments

11 of the 14 Big Ten teams participated in early season tournaments. Each team's finish is noted below. Indiana, Ohio State, and Rutgers did not participate in a tournament. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin participated in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games against Big East Conference teams for a fourth consecutive year. The result was a 5–3 victory for the Big Ten. All Big Ten teams also participated in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge against Atlantic Coast Conference teams, the 20th year for the event. The 2018 results were a 7–7 tie.
| Team | Tournament | Finish |
| Illinois | Maui Invitational | 8th |
| Iowa | 2K Sports Classic | 1st |
| Maryland | Veterans Classic | 1–0 |
| Michigan | Hall of Fame Tip-Off | 1st |
| Michigan State | Las Vegas Invitational | 1st |
| Minnesota | Vancouver Showcase | 3–0 |
| Nebraska | CBE Hall of Fame Classic | 2nd |
| Northwestern | Wooden Legacy | 5th |
| Purdue | Charleston Classic | 2nd |
| Penn State | Cancún Challenge | 2nd |
| Wisconsin | Battle 4 Atlantis | 2nd |

#### ACC–Big Ten Challenge

| Date | Time | ACC team | B1G team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Challenge leader |
| Nov 26 | 7:00 pm | Clemson | Nebraska | 68–66 | Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, South Carolina | ESPN2 | 6,974 | B1G (1–0) |
| Nov 26 | 9:00 pm | Boston College | Minnesota | 68–56 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN2 | 4,389 | Tied (1–1) |
| Nov 27 | 7:00 pm | Notre Dame | Illinois | 76–74 | Edmund P. Joyce Center • South Bend, Indiana | ESPNU | 8,053 | ACC (2–1) |
| Nov 27 | 7:00 pm | No. 13 Virginia Tech | Penn State | 63–62 | Bryce Jordan Center • University Park, Pennsylvania | ESPN2 | 8,373 | Tied (2–2) |
| Nov 27 | 7:30 pm | Louisville | No. 9 Michigan State | 82–78 $^{OT}$ | KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, Kentucky | ESPN | 15,477 | ACC (3–2) |
| Nov 27 | 9:00 pm | NC State | No. 22 Wisconsin | 79–75 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | ESPN2 | 17,012 | Tied (3–3) |
| Nov 27 | 9:00 pm | Pittsburgh | No. 14 Iowa | 69–68 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena • Iowa City, Iowa | ESPNU | 10,158 | B1G (4–3) |
| Nov 27 | 9:30 pm | No. 3 Duke | Indiana | 90–69 | Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, North Carolina | ESPN | 9,314 | Tied (4–4) |
| Nov 28 | 7:00 pm | Miami | Rutgers | 57–54 | Watsco Center • Coral Gables, Florida | ESPNU | 6,376 | B1G (5–4) |
| Nov 28 | 7:00 pm | Syracuse | No. 16 Ohio State | 72–62 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | ESPN2 | 16,962 | Tied (5–5) |
| Nov 28 | 7:30 pm | No. 4 Virginia | No. 24 Maryland | 76–71 | Xfinity Center • College Park, Maryland | ESPN | 17,950 | ACC (6–5) |
| Nov 28 | 9:15 pm | No. 15 Florida State | No. 19 Purdue | 73–72 | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center • Tallahassee, Florida | ESPN2 | 9,978 | ACC (7–5) |
| Nov 28 | 9:15 pm | Georgia Tech | Northwestern | 67–61 | Welsh-Ryan Arena • Evanston, Illinois | ESPNU | 6,378 | ACC (7–6) |
| Nov 28 | 9:30 pm | No. 11 North Carolina | No. 7 Michigan | 84–67 | Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, Michigan | ESPN | 12,707 | Tied (7–7) |
| Winners Are In Bold Game times in EST Wake Forest did not play due to the ACC having one more team than the B1G. |||||||||

#### Gavitt Tipoff Games

| Date | Time | Big East team | Big Ten team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Leader |
| Tue., Nov. 13 | 6:30 PM | Xavier | Wisconsin | 77–68 | Cintas Center • Cincinnati, OH | FS1 | 10,312 | Big Ten (1–0) |
| Tue., Nov. 13 | 8:30 PM | Georgetown | Illinois | 88–80 | State Farm Center • Champaign, IL | FS1 | 14,656 | Tied (1–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 14 | 6:30 PM | No. 8 Villanova | No. 18 Michigan | 73–46 | Finneran Pavilion • Villanova, PA | FS1 | 6,501 | Big Ten (2–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 14 | 7:30 PM | Seton Hall | Nebraska | 80–57 | Pinnacle Bank Arena • Lincoln, NE | BTN | 15,713 | Big Ten (3–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 14 | 8:30 PM | No. 24 Marquette | Indiana | 96–73 | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, IN | FS1 | 17,222 | Big Ten (4–1) |
| Thu., Nov. 15 | 7:00 PM | Creighton | Ohio State | 69–60 | CHI Health Center Omaha • Omaha, NE | FS1 | 17,146 | Big Ten (5–1) |
| Thu., Nov. 15 | 9:00 PM | DePaul | Penn State | 72–70 $^{OT}$ | Wintrust Arena • Chicago, IL | FS1 | 3,926 | Big Ten (5–2) |
| Fri., Nov. 16 | 7:00 PM | St. John's | Rutgers | 84–65 | Louis Brown Athletic Center • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | 7,102 | Big Ten (5–3) |
| Winners Are In Bold. Game Times in EST. Rankings from AP Poll (Nov 12). Did not participate: Butler; Providence (Big East); Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue (Big Ten) |||||||||

### Conference matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. Each team will play 20 conference games, and at least one game against each opponent. The 2018–19 season marked the first time in Big Ten history that the teams played a 20-game conference schedule. The new schedule included a regional component to increase the frequency of games among teams in similar areas. Over the course of a six-year cycle (12 playing opportunities), in-state rivals will play each other 12 times, regional opponents will play 10 times, and all other teams will play nine times. Three in-state series will be guaranteed home-and-homes: Illinois and Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, and Michigan and Michigan State will always play twice. The conference opponent list was released on April 19, 2018.
| | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan St | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio St | Penn St | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin |
| vs. Illinois | – | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Indiana | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| vs. Iowa | 0–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Maryland | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Michigan | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Michigan St | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | – | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| vs. Minnesota | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | – | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Nebraska | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | – | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Northwestern | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | – | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Ohio State | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | – | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Penn State | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Purdue | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| vs. Rutgers | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | – | 1–0 |
| vs. Wisconsin | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | – |
| Total | 7–13 | 8–12 | 10–10 | 13–7 | 15–5 | 16–4 | 9–11 | 6–14 | 4–16 | 8–12 | 7–13 | 16–4 | 7–13 | 14–6 |
The Big Ten led the nation in average attendance with 12,691 patrons, outpacing the SEC (11,527), ACC (10,912), Big 12 (10,170) and Big East (9,999). Of the 351 schools that host Division I basketball competition, Wisconsin (5th, 17,170), Nebraska (10th, 15,341), Indian (12th, 15,206), Michigan State (13th, 14,797), Purdue (14th, 14,467), Maryland (18th, 14,009), Ohio State (19th, 13,922), Iowa (23rd, 12,869), Michigan (24th, 12,505), and Illinois (25th, 12,456) were all among the top 25 in attendance. It marked the 43rd consecutive season that the Big Ten has led the nation in attendance.

## Honors and awards
### All-Big Ten awards and teams

On March 11, 2019, the Big Ten announced most of its conference awards, with separate slates of awards from the media and the coaches. Cassius Winston was selected as Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Winston and Carsen Edwards were unanimous first team All-Big Ten selections by both the coaches and the media. Purdue coach Matt Painter was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth time, which tied him for third most in conference history behind Gene Keady and Bobby Knight, with 7 and 5, respectively.
| Honor | Coaches | Media |
| Player of the Year | Cassius Winston, Michigan State | Cassius Winston, Michigan State |
| Coach of the Year | Matt Painter, Purdue | Matt Painter, Purdue |
| Freshman of the Year | Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan | Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Josh Reaves, Penn State | Not Selected |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State | Not Selected |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Carsen Edwards, Purdue | Carsen Edwards, Purdue |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Bruno Fernando, Maryland | Bruno Fernando, Maryland |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Ethan Happ, Wisconsin | Ethan Happ, Wisconsin |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Lamar Stevens, Penn State | Jordan Murphy, Minnesota |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Cassius Winston, Michigan State | Cassius Winston, Michigan State |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan | Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland | Tyler Cook, Iowa |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Romeo Langford, Indiana | Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Jordan Murphy, Minnesota | Zavier Simpson, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Zavier Simpson, Michigan | Lamar Stevens, Penn State |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Jordan Bohannon, Iowa | Amir Coffey, Minnesota |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Amir Coffey, Minnesota | Romeo Langford, Indiana |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Tyler Cook, Iowa | Juwan Morgan, Indiana |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | James Palmer Jr., Nebraska | James Palmer Jr., Nebraska |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Nick Ward, Michigan State | Nick Ward, Michigan State |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Geo Baker, Rutgers | Geo Baker, Rutgers |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Ryan Cline, Purdue | Jordan Bohannon, Iowa |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois | Ryan Cline, Purdue |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Kenny Goins, Michigan State | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Matt McQuaid, Michigan State | Trent Frazier, Illinois |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Juwan Morgan, Indiana | Luka Garza, Iowa |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Dererk Pardon, Northwestern | Kenny Goins, Michigan State |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Jordan Poole, Michigan | Matt Haarms, Purdue |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Jon Teske, Michigan | Vic Law, Northwestern |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State | Matt McQuaid, Michigan State |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Charles Matthews, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Eugene Omoruyi, Rutgers |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Dererk Pardon, Northwestern |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Jordan Poole, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Josh Reaves, Penn State |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Jon Teske, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | D'Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State |
| All-Freshman Team | Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Romeo Langford, Indiana | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Jalen Smith, Maryland | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Joe Wieskamp, Iowa | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Nojel Eastern, Purdue | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Bruno Fernando, Maryland | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Matt McQuaid, Michigan State | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Josh Reaves, Penn State | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Zavier Simpson, Michigan | Not Selected |

### USBWA

On March 12, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association released its 2018–19 Men's All-District Teams, based upon voting from its national membership. There were nine regions from coast to coast, and a player and coach of the year were selected in each. The following lists all the Big Ten representatives selected within their respective regions.

### NABC

The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced their Division I All-District teams on March 21, recognizing the nation's best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, the selections on this list were then eligible for NABC Coaches' All-America Honors. The following list represented the District 7 players chosen to the list.

### Other awards

Happ, Edwards and Winston were 2019 consensus All-Americans (second team). Brazdeikis was an Associated Press All-American honorable mention selection. Matt Painter was named NABC Coach of the Year.

## Postseason
### Big Ten tournament

Michigan State emerged as the champion of the 2019 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament by defeating in-state rival Michigan 65–60 in the championship game. As the top seed, their path included a double bye and victories over Ohio State and Wisconsin.
| First round Wednesday, March 13 BTN | First round Wednesday, March 13 BTN | First round Wednesday, March 13 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 14 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 14 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 14 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 15 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 15 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 15 BTN | | | Semifinals Saturday, March 16 CBS | Semifinals Saturday, March 16 CBS | Semifinals Saturday, March 16 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 17 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 17 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 17 CBS |
| | | | | | | 1 | Michigan State | 77 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Ohio State | 79 | 8 | Ohio State | 70 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Indiana | 75 | | | | | | 1 | Michigan State | 67 | |
| | | | | | | | | | 4 | Wisconsin | 55 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Wisconsin | 66 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Maryland | 61 | 13 | Nebraska | 62 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Rutgers | 61 | 13 | Nebraska | 69 | | | | | | | | 1 | Michigan State | 65 |
| 13 | Nebraska | 68 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 3 | Michigan | 60 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Purdue | 73 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Minnesota | 77* | 7 | Minnesota | 75 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Penn State | 72 | | | | | | 7 | Minnesota | 49 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | Michigan | 76 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Michigan | 74 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Iowa | 83 | 6 | Iowa | 53 | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Illinois | 74* | 11 | Illinois | 62 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Northwestern | 69 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* denotes overtime period

### NCAA tournament

The winner of the Big Ten tournament, Michigan State, received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Eight Big Ten teams received bids to the NCAA tournament, the most of any conference in the tournament and the most in the conference's history. Seven teams reaching the round of 32 established another conference record. Michigan State reached the final four for the 10th time. In the postseason, the Big Ten had a 13–8 record in the NCAA tournament.
| Seed | Region | School | First Four | First Round | Second Round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| 2 | East | Michigan State | N/A | defeated (15) Bradley 76–65 | defeated (10) Minnesota 70–50 | defeated (3) LSU 80–63 | defeated (1) Duke 68–67 | lost to (3 W) Texas Tech 51–61 | |
| 2 | West | Michigan | N/A | defeated (15) Montana 74–55 | defeated (10) Florida 64–49 | lost to (3) Texas Tech 44–63 | | | |
| 3 | South | Purdue | N/A | defeated (14) Old Dominion 61–48 | defeated (6) Villanova 87–61 | defeated (2) Tennessee 99–94$^{OT}$ | lost to (1) Virginia 75–80$^{OT}$ | | |
| 5 | South | Wisconsin | N/A | lost to (12) Oregon 54–72 | | | | | |
| 6 | East | Maryland | N/A | defeated (11) Belmont 79–77 | lost to (3) LSU 67–69 | | | | |
| 10 | East | Minnesota | N/A | defeated (7) Louisville 86–76 | lost to (2) Michigan State 50–70 | | | | |
| 10 | South | Iowa | N/A | defeated (7) Cincinnati 79–72 | lost to (2) Tennessee 77–83$^{OT}$ | | | | |
| 11 | Midwest | Ohio State | N/A | defeated (6) Iowa State 20–14 | lost to (3) Houston 59–74 | | | | |
| | | W–L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 7–1 (.875) | 3–4 (.429) | 2–1 (.667) | 1–1 (.500) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) Total: 13–8 (.619) |

### National Invitation Tournament

Two Big Ten teams received invitations to the National Invitation Tournament. The conference had a 3–2 record in the NIT tournament.
| Seed | Bracket | School | First round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
| 1 | Indiana | Indiana | defeated (8) Saint Francis (PA) 89–72 | defeated (5) Arkansas 63–60 | lost to (6) Wichita State 63–73 | | |
| 4 | TCU | Nebraska | defeated (5) Butler 80–76 | lost to (1) TCU 72–88 | | | |
| | | W–L (%): | 2–0 (1.000) | 1–1 (.500) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) Total: 3–2 (.600) |

### 2019 NBA draft

Six players were drafted from Big Ten teams during the 2019 NBA draft. Two players were drafted from Michigan and two were drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Player | NBA Club | B1G team |
| 1 | 14 | 14 | Romeo Langford | Boston Celtics(from Sacramento via Philadelphia) | Indiana |
| 1 | 28 | 28 | Jordan Poole | Golden State Warriors | Michigan |
| 2 | 3 | 33 | Carsen Edwards | Philadelphia 76ers(from Cleveland via New York and Orlando; traded to Boston) | Purdue |
| 2 | 4 | 34 | Bruno Fernando | Philadelphia 76ers (from Chicago via L.A. Lakers; traded to Atlanta) | Maryland |
| 2 | 15 | 45 | Isaiah Roby | Detroit Pistons(from Detroit via Oklahoma City and Boston; traded to Dallas) | Nebraska |
| 2 | 17 | 47 | Ignas Brazdeikis | Sacramento Kings(from Orlando via New York; traded to New York) | Michigan |

#### Pre-draft trades

Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams below.
* ↑ July 10, 2015: Sacramento Kings to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, and a 2019 first-round pick Sacramento acquired the draft rights to Artūras Gudaitis and Luka Mitrović June 23, 2016: Philadelphia 76ers to Boston Celtics Boston acquired a 2017 first-round pick (No. 3 - Jayson Tatum) and a 2019 first-round pick Philadelphia acquired a 2017 first-round pick (No. 1 - Markelle Fultz)
* ↑ January 5, 2015: Cleveland Cavaliers to New York Knicks (three-team trade with Oklahoma City) New York acquired Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk, Lance Thomas, and Cleveland's 2019 second-round pick Cleveland acquired Iman Shumpert, J. R. Smith, and Oklahoma City's protected 2015 first-round pick Oklahoma City acquired Dion Waiters
* 1 2 July 9, 2015: New York Knicks to Orlando Magic Orlando acquired cash considerations and the right to swap 2019 second-round picks between New York and Orlando New York Knicks acquired Kyle O'Quinn via a sign-and-trade deal
* ↑ February 7, 2019: Orlando Magic to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Jonathon Simmons, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2019 second-round pick Orlando acquired Markelle Fultz
* ↑ July 7, 2016: Chicago Bulls to Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers acquired José Calderón and two future second-round picks Chicago acquired the draft rights to Ater Majok July 6, 2018: Los Angeles Lakers to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired cash considerations and a 2019 second-round pick Los Angeles Lakers acquired Isaac Bonga
* ↑ February 19, 2015: Detroit Pistons to Oklahoma City Thunder (three-team trade with Utah) Oklahoma City acquired D. J. Augustin, Kyle Singler, and a 2019 second-round pick Detroit acquired Reggie Jackson Utah acquired a 2017 second-round pick July 14, 2015: Oklahoma City Thunder to Boston Celtics Boston acquired Perry Jones III, a 2019 second-round pick, and cash considerations Oklahoma City acquired a 2018 second-round pick July 7, 2017: Boston Celtics to Detroit Pistons Detroit acquired Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick Boston acquired Marcus Morris
* ↑ July 14, 2017: New York Knicks to Sacramento Kings Sacramento acquired a 2019 second-round pick and cash considerations New York acquired the rights to hire Scott Perry as general manager

#### Draft-day trades

Draft-day trades were made on June 20, 2019, the day of the draft.
* ↑ June 20, 2019: Boston Celtics to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Boston's first-round pick (No. 20 - Matisse Thybulle) Boston acquired Philadelphia's first- and second-round picks (No. 24 - Ty Jerome and No. 33 - Carsen Edwards)
* ↑ June 20, 2019: Sacramento Kings to New York Knicks New York acquired Sacramento's second-round pick (No. 47 - Ignas Brazdeikis) Sacramento acquired New York's second-round pick (No. 55 - Kyle Guy) and cash considerations

#### Post-draft trades

The following trades were reportedly agreed prior to and on the day of the draft and were completed at a later date. Due to salary cap reasons, most of these trades were officially announced on July 6, after the NBA moratorium period ended.
* ↑ July 6, 2019: Philadelphia 76ers to Atlanta Hawks Atlanta acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 34 - Bruno Fernando) Philadelphia acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 57 - Jordan Bone) and two future second-round picks
* ↑ June 27, 2019: Dallas Mavericks to Detroit Pistons Detroit acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 37 - Deividas Sirvydis) Dallas acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 45 - Isaiah Roby) and two future-second round picks

### Coaching changes following the season

Following the season, Fred Hoiberg was named coach of Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball where his grandfather, Jerry Bush, had coached for nine years and in Lincoln, Nebraska where he was born. Following the season, Juwan Howard was named coach of Michigan Wolverines men's basketball where he had been an All-American in 1994 as a player.