• Michigan State secured the Big Ten title with a win over Iowa.
• The Big Ten Tournament field includes 15 out of the 18 conference teams.
• The Big Ten Tournament concludes on March 16th, followed by the NCAA Tournament selection show.
• Wisconsin can secure a double-bye in the tournament with a win over Penn State.

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.

The Michigan State Spartans clinched the outright Big Ten title with their road win over Iowa on Thursday night.

That result eliminates much of the drama of the regular season’s final weekend. Now, the scheduled games will be played with Big Ten Tournament seeding at stake, plus with some teams needing a few more wins to make the NCAA Tournament field.

The stakes of Wisconsin’s final weekend are clear. A win over Penn State and the team clinches a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. It is currently tied for third place in the conference standings with the Purdue and Maryland. Current tiebreakers award Maryland the No. 3 position and Wisconsin No. 4, thanks to the Badgers’ February win over the Boilermakers. Those standings are all pending the results of this weekend’s games: Wisconsin vs. Penn State, Maryland vs. Northwestern and Purdue at Illinois.

Penn State and Washington are already eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention, with the field only including 15 of the conference’s 18 teams. Iowa will get one final chance at claiming a spot when it closes its season against Nebraska. There is currently a five-way tie for 11th in the standings. That pack increasing to six teams would create tiebreaker chaos.

Before the games are played and tiebreakers are analyzed, here is an updated snapshot of the Big Ten Tournament bracket entering the season’s final weekend:

Note: Michigan State (16-3 Big Ten), Michigan (14-5), Maryland (13-6) and Wisconsin (13-6) are projected to receive double-byes, seeded No. 1 to No. 4 in order. Iowa (6-13), Penn State (5-14) and Washington (4-15) are in line to miss the field entirely.

Projected Big Ten Tournament bracket as of March 7

First Round

• No. 12 Northwestern vs. No. 13 Minnesota
• No. 11 Rutgers vs. No. 14 USC
• No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Nebraska

Second Round

• No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Indiana
• No. 5 Purdue vs. Northwestern/Minnesota winner
• No. 7 Illinois vs. Ohio State/Nebraska winner
• No. 6 UCLA vs. Rutgers/USC winner

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Michigan State vs. Oregon/Indiana
• No. 4 Wisconsin vs. Purdue/Northwestern/Minnesota
• No. 2 Michigan vs. Illinois/Ohio State/Nebraska
• No. 3 Maryland vs. UCLA/Rutgers/USC

Semifinals

• Michigan State/Oregon/Indiana vs. Wisconsin/Purdue/Northwestern/Minnesota
• Michigan/Illinois/Ohio State/Nebraska vs. Maryland/UCLA/Rutgers/USC

The winner of those two semifinal games will meet in the tournament final on Sunday, March 16. The conclusion of that matchup leads into CBS’ Selection Sunday show and the unveiling of the NCAA Tournament bracket.

(Note: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly listed Purdue as the No. 4 seed and Wisconsin No. 5. The conference tiebreakers changed with the recent expansion. Those new tiebreakers award Wisconsin the No. 4 seed if it beats Penn State)

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