# 2018 Big Ten men's basketball tournament

The 2018 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held from February 28 through March 4, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten tournament took place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday.
Michigan defeated Purdue in the championship game to win their second consecutive tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The tournament was the second Big Ten Conference tournament held outside the conference's traditional heartland in the Midwest following the 2017 tournament held at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

## 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. The top 10 teams received a first round bye and the top four teams received a double bye. Tiebreaking procedures remained unchanged from the 2017 Tournament.
| Seed | School | Conf. | Tiebreaker 1 | Tiebreaker 2 | Tiebreaker 3 | Tiebreaker 4 | Tiebreaker 5 |
| 1 | Michigan State | 16–2 | | | | | |
| 2 | Ohio State | 15–3 | 1–0 vs Pur | | | | |
| 3 | Purdue | 15–3 | 0–1 vs OSU | | | | |
| 4 | Nebraska | 13–5 | 1–0 vs Mich | | | | |
| 5 | Michigan | 13–5 | 0–1 vs Neb | | | | |
| 6 | Indiana | 9–9 | 1–0 vs PSU | | | | |
| 7 | Penn State | 9–9 | 0–1 vs Ind | | | | |
| 8 | Maryland | 8–10 | | | | | |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 7–11 | | | | | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 6–12 | | | | | |
| 11 | Minnesota | 4–14 | 2–1 vs Iowa/Ill | 0–1 vs MSU | 0–3 vs OSU/Pur | 0–4 vs Neb/Mich | 1–2 vs Ind/PSU |
| 12 | Iowa | 4–14 | 2–1 vs Minn/Ill | 0–1 vs MSU | 0–3 vs OSU/Pur | 0–3 vs Neb/Mich | 0–4 vs Ind/PSU |
| 13 | Illinois | 4–14 | 0–2 vs Minn/Iowa | | | | |
| 14 | Rutgers | 3–15 | | | | | |

## Schedule

| Session | Game | Time* | Matchup | Score | Television | Attendance |
| First round – Wednesday, February 28 |||||||
| 1 | 1 | 5:30 pm | No. 13 Illinois vs No. 12 Iowa | 87–96 | BTN | 14,681 |
| 1 | 2 | 8:00 pm | No. 14 Rutgers vs No. 11 Minnesota | 65–54 | BTN | 14,681 |
| Second round – Thursday, March 1 |||||||
| 2 | 3 | 12:00 pm | No. 9 Wisconsin vs No. 8 Maryland | 59–54 | BTN | 13,815 |
| 2 | 4 | 2:30 pm | No. 12 Iowa vs No. 5 Michigan | 71–77$^{OT}$ | BTN | 13,815 |
| 3 | 5 | 6:30 pm | No. 10 Northwestern vs No. 7 Penn State | 57–65 | BTN | 13,996 |
| 3 | 6 | 9:00 pm | No. 14 Rutgers vs No. 6 Indiana | 76–69 | BTN | 13,996 |
| Quarterfinals – Friday, March 2 |||||||
| 4 | 7 | 12:00 pm | No. 9 Wisconsin vs No. 1 Michigan State | 60–63 | BTN | 14,260 |
| 4 | 8 | 2:30 pm | No. 5 Michigan vs No. 4 Nebraska | 77–58 | BTN | 14,260 |
| 5 | 9 | 6:30 pm | No. 7 Penn State vs No. 2 Ohio St. | 69–68 | BTN | 14,530 |
| 5 | 10 | 9:00 pm | No. 14 Rutgers vs No. 3 Purdue | 75–82 | BTN | 14,530 |
| Semifinals – Saturday, March 3 |||||||
| 6 | 11 | 2:00 pm | No. 5 Michigan vs No. 1 Michigan State | 75–64 | CBS | 19,812 |
| 6 | 12 | 4:30 pm | No. 7 Penn St. vs No. 3 Purdue | 70–78 | CBS | 19,812 |
| Championship – Sunday, March 4 |||||||
| 7 | 13 | 4:30 pm | No. 5 Michigan vs No. 3 Purdue | 75–66 | CBS | 15,063 |
| *Game times in Eastern Time. Rankings denote tournament seed |||||||

## Bracket

| First round Wednesday, February 28 BTN | First round Wednesday, February 28 BTN | First round Wednesday, February 28 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 1 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 1 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 1 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 2 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 2 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 2 BTN | | | Semifinals Saturday, March 3 CBS | Semifinals Saturday, March 3 CBS | Semifinals Saturday, March 3 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 4 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 4 CBS | Championship Sunday, March 4 CBS |
| | | | | | | 1 | Michigan State | 63 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Maryland | 54 | 9 | Wisconsin | 60 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Wisconsin | 59 | | | | | | 1 | Michigan State | 64 | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | Michigan | 75 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Nebraska | 58 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Michigan | 77* | 5 | Michigan | 77 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Iowa | 96 | 12 | Iowa | 71 | | | | | | | | 5 | Michigan | 75 |
| 13 | Illinois | 87 | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | 3 | Purdue | 66 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Ohio State | 68 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Penn State | 65 | 7 | Penn State | 69 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Northwestern | 57 | | | | | | 7 | Penn State | 70 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | Purdue | 78 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Purdue | 82 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Indiana | 69 | 14 | Rutgers | 75 | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Minnesota | 54 | 14 | Rutgers | 76 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Rutgers | 65 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* denotes overtime period

## Game summaries
### First round

* BTN
* Feb 28 5:30 pm
* Recap
No. 13 Illinois 87, No. 12 Iowa 96 :
| Scoring by half: 31–35, 56–61 |||
| Pts: K. Nichols 31 Rebs: M. Finke 4 Asts: T. Lucas 8 | Pts: J. Bohannon 25 Rebs: L. Garza 8 Asts: J. Bohannon 6 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 14,681 Referees: Terry Wymer, Bo Boroski, Lewis Garrison
* BTN
* Feb 28 8:00 pm
* Recap
No. 14 Rutgers 65, No. 11 Minnesota 54 :
| Scoring by half: 34–27, 31–27 |||
| Pts: C. Sanders 23 Rebs: D. Freeman 11 Asts: C. Sanders 2 | Pts: I. Washington 18 Rebs: J. Murphy 9 Asts: D. McBrayer 3 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 14,681 Referees: Gene Steratore, Paul Szelc, Courtney Green

### Second round

* BTN
* Mar 1 12:00 pm
* Recap
No. 9 Wisconsin 59, No. 8 Maryland 54 :
| Scoring by half: 28–26, 31–28 |||
| Pts: E. Happ 14 Rebs: E. Happ 7 Asts: B. Davison 2 | Pts: K. Huerter 20 Rebs: B. Fernando 9 Asts: A. Cowan Jr. 4 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 13,815 Referees: Terry Wymer, Lamont Simpson, Kelly Pfeifer
* BTN
* Mar 1 2:30 pm
* Recap
No. 12 Iowa 71, No. 5 Michigan 77 (OT) :
| Scoring by half: 40–35, 27–32 Overtime: 4–10 |||
| Pts: R. Kriener 14 Rebs: L. Garza 8 Asts: J. Bohannon 5 | Pts: C. Matthews 16 Rebs: J. Teske 9 Asts: M. Abdur-Rahkman/Z. Simpson 3 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 13,815 Referees: D.J. Carstensen, Courtney Green, Larry Scirotto
* BTN
* Mar 1 6:30 pm
* Recap
No. 10 Northwestern 57, No. 7 Penn State 65 :
| Scoring by half: 30–30, 27–35 |||
| Pts: D. Pardon 14 Rebs: B. Benson 9 Asts: B. McIntosh 5 | Pts: T. Carr 25 Rebs: J. Reaves 8 Asts: T. Carr 4 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 13,996
* BTN
* Mar 1 9:00 pm
* Recap
No. 14 Rutgers 76, No. 6 Indiana 69 :
| Scoring by half: 29–28, 47–41 |||
| Pts: C. Sanders 28 Rebs: D. Freeman 8 Asts: C. Sanders 3 | Pts: J. Morgan 15 Rebs: J. Morgan 9 Asts: R. Johnson/J. Morgan 4 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 13,996

### Quarterfinals

* BTN
* Mar 2 12:00 pm
* Recap
No. 9 Wisconsin 60, No. 1 Michigan State 63 :
| Scoring by half: 28-32, 32-31 |||
| Pts: E. Happ 22 Rebs: K. Iverson 5 Asts: B. Davison 5 | Pts: M. Bridges 20 Rebs: M. Bridges 9 Asts: C. Winston 5 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 14,260
* BTN
* Mar 2 2:30 pm
* Recap
No. 5 Michigan 77, No. 4 Nebraska 58 :
| Scoring by half: 34–24, 43–34 |||
| Pts: M. Abdur-Rahkman 21 Rebs: M. Wagner 13 Asts: Z. Simpson 6 | Pts: J. Palmer/I. Roby 16 Rebs: I. Roby 7 Asts: G. Watson/J. Palmer 2 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 10,292
* BTN
* Mar 2 6:30 pm
* Recap
No. 7 Penn State 69, No. 2 Ohio State 68 :
| Scoring by half: 33–32, 36–36 |||
| Pts: T. Carr 25 Rebs: J. Reaves/L. Stevens 7 Asts: T. Carr 5 | Pts: K. Bates-Diop 25 Rebs: J. Tate 7 Asts: C. Jackson 6 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY
* BTN
* Mar 2 9:00 pm
* Recap
No. 14 Rutgers 75, No. 3 Purdue 82 :
| Scoring by half: 38–35, 37–47 |||
| Pts: G. Baker 25 Rebs: M. Williams 8 Asts: C. Sanders 4 | Pts: C. Edwards/V. Edwards 26 Rebs: I. Hass 10 Asts: D. Mathias 7 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 14,530

### Semifinals

* CBS
* Mar 3 2:00 pm
* Recap
No. 1 Michigan State 64, No. 5 Michigan 75 :
| Scoring by half: 29–26, 35–49 |||
| Pts: M. Bridges 17 Rebs: 3 tied with 7 Asts: C. Winston 5 | Pts: 3 tied with 15 Rebs: M. Wagner 8 Asts: M. Abdur-Rahkman/C. Matthews 3 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 19,812
* CBS
* Mar 3 4:30 pm
* Recap
No. 7 Penn State 70, No. 3 Purdue 78 :
| Scoring by half: 31–33, 39–45 |||
| Pts: S. Garner 33 Rebs: T. Carr 9 Asts: T. Carr 4 | Pts: C. Edwards 27 Rebs: I. Hass 7 Asts: V. Edwards 5 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 19,812

### Championship

* CBS
* Mar 4 4:30 pm
* Recap
No. 5 Michigan 75, No. 3 Purdue 66 :
| Scoring by half: 38–33, 37–33 |||
| Pts: M. Wagner 17 Rebs: Z. Simpson 5 Asts: Z. Simpson 5 | Pts: I. Haas 23 Rebs: C. Edwards/I. Haas 8 Asts: C. Edwards/V. Edwards 2 |
* Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Attendance: 15,063

## Sponsorship

Financial firm SoFi acquired presenting sponsorship of the tournament as part of a multi-year deal, including signage, presenting sponsorship of BTN telecasts of the tournament, and on-site marketing presences. The Tournament was branded as the 2018 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament presented by SoFi for sponsorship reasons.

## All-Tournament Team

* Moritz Wagner, Michigan – Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player
* Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Michigan
* Carsen Edwards, Purdue
* Tony Carr, Penn State
* Corey Sanders, Rutgers