Who is Ohio State playing in Big Ten men's basketball tournament

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Buckeyes' March Madness hopes are hanging by a thread and their performance in next week's men's Big Ten Tournament could make or break getting a bid.

After falling to Indiana on Saturday in its regular season finale, Ohio State finished with a 9-11 record in conference play. This gives the Buckeyes the No. 10 seed for the conference tournament, which begins in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Ohio State will play in the first round against No. 15 seed Iowa on Wednesday at around 6 p.m. in Indianapolis. The game will be broadcast on the streaming service Peacock, which is owned by NBC and not NBC4's parent company Nexstar. The winner of Ohio State-Iowa will play No. 7 seed Illinois in the second round on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

2025 Big Ten men's tournament bracket

This is the first time the Big Ten tournament has 15 teams after last year's expansion adding Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA to the conference. The expansion meant three teams were left out of the bracket and an extra first-round game was added.

Most analysts are split on the current NCAA Tournament status of Ohio State, who has not made the big dance since 2022. Head coach Jake Diebler's side have won at least one game at the Big Ten tournament over the past two seasons. With a first-round win, the team's chances of making March Madness get a healthy boost while a deep run surely gives the Buckeyes a spot.

The NCAA Tournament selection show begins at 6 p.m. next Sunday with the first games taking place next Tuesday in the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio. Should Ohio State make the tournament, Dayton is a possible destination for the Buckeyes.

2025 Big Ten men's basketball tournament schedule

Wednesday, March 12 (First round)

• Game 1 - No. 12 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Northwestern (3:30 p.m. on Peacock)
• Game 2 - No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Iowa (25 minutes after Game 1 on Peacock)
• Game 3 - No. 11 Rutgers vs. No. 14 USC (25 minutes after Game 2 on Peacock)

Thursday, March 13 (Second round)

• Game 4 - No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Indiana (12 p.m.)
• Game 5 - No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Winner of Game 1 (25 minutes after Game 4)
• Game 6 - No. 7 Illinois vs. Winner of Game 2 (6:30 p.m.)
• Game 7 - No. 6 Purdue vs. Winner of Game 3 (25 minutes after Game 6)

Friday, March 14 (Quarterfinals)

• Game 8 - No. 1 Michigan State vs. Winner of Game 4 (12 p.m.)
• Game 9 - No. 4 UCLA vs. Winner of Game 5 (25 minutes after Game 8)
• Game 10 - No. 2 Maryland vs. Winner of Game 6 (6:30 p.m.)
• Game 11 - No. 3 Michigan vs. Winner of Game 7 (25 minutes after Game 10)

Saturday, March 15 (Semifinals)

• Game 12 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 (1 p.m.)
• Game 13 - Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11 (3:30 p.m.)

Sunday, March 16 (Final)

• Game 14 - Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13 (3:30 p.m.)