Big Ten Tournament 2011 Bracket And Schedule For Day One

It's finally here!

The 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament begins today at 2:30pm Eastern at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The first match-up pits Northwestern against Minnesota. The second game has Michigan State facing Iowa, while the nightcap, on the Big Ten Network, as Indiana battles Penn State, a team our own writer Joe Kutsunis thinks can steal a big in the NCAA Tournament.

First Round (Thursday, March 10)

Game 1: No. 8 Northwestern Wildcats vs. No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2

Game 2: No. 7 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes, 25 minutes following Game 1 conclusion, ESPN2

Game 3: No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers, 7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network

Second Round (Friday, March 11)

Game 4: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Game 1 Winner, Noon, ESPN

Game 5: No. 4 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 5 Michigan Wolverines, 25 minutes following Game 4 conclusion, ESPN

Game 6: No. 2 Purdue vs. Game 2 Winner, 6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network

Game 7: No. 3 Wisconsin vs. Game 3 Winner, 25 minutes following Game 6 conclusion, Big Ten Network

Semi-Finals Round (Saturday, March 12)

Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 1:40 p.m., CBS Sports

Game 9: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 25 minutes following Game 8 conclusion, CBS Sports

Championship Game (Sunday, March 13)

Game 10: Tournament Championship, 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports

The 2011 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN from March 10th-13th. You can follow our Big Ten Tournement Stream here, including our previews for all the Big Ten teams in the tourney.