Field Set For 2002 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2002
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%^$Park Ridge, IL – The field is set for the 2002 Big Ten Men’s Basketball%^$Tournament that will take place Thursday-Sunday, March 7-10, at the Conseco%^$Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. Co-Big Ten Champion Wisconsin (18-11/11-5)%^$earns the No. 1 seed after winning a tiebreaker among four teams as fellow%^$Conference winner Ohio State (20-7/11-5) nabbed the No. 2 seed. With a win%^$over Minnesota this afternoon, Illinois (23-7/11-5) collected a share of%^$their second straight League crown and the No. 3 seed in the tournament,%^$while co-Conference champ Indiana (19-10/11-5) was awarded the No. 4 seed.%^$All four teams received a first-round bye, along with No. 5 seed Michigan%^$State (19-10/10-6), and will start tournament play on Friday, March 8.%^$
%^$The fifth-annual 2002 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will tip-off for%^$the first time in the state of Indiana with a local flavor, as No. 8 Purdue%^$(13-17/5-11) will face No. 9 Iowa (16-14/5-11), the defending tournament%^$champion, at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 7, on ESPN2. The four previous%^$Conference Tournaments were contested at the United Center in Chicago. The%^$second game of the tournament will feature No. 7 Northwestern (16-12/7-9)%^$against No. 10 Michigan (10-17/5-11) at 4:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. The final%^$game on Thursday will include No. 6 Minnesota (16-11/9-7) and No. 11 Penn%^$State (7-20/3-13) as the two squads tip off at 7:10 p.m. EST on ESPN%^$Regional.%^$
%^$Day two will begin with the No. 4/5 contest at 11:30 a.m. EST (ESPN2), as%^$Indiana will face Michigan State, which has won five straight games and%^$emerged victorious in two other Conference tournaments. Wisconsin, which%^$earned its first No. 1 seed in the five-year history of the Tournament, will%^$begin its quest for its first tournament title at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN2%^$against the Purdue/Iowa victor. No. 2 Ohio State will also aim for its first%^$tourney crown on Friday at 6:40 p.m. EST (ESPN Regional) versus the%^$Northwestern/Michigan winner. The second day will conclude with No. 3%^$Illinois facing the Minnesota/Penn State winner at 9:10 p.m. EST (ESPN%^$Regional), as the Illini aim for their third berth in the tourney final in%^$the last four years.%^$
%^$The Big Ten Tournament semifinals will take place on Saturday, March 9, with%^$the first game beginning at 1:45 p.m. EST on CBS. Game two will start 30%^$minutes following the conclusion of game one at approximately 4:05 p.m. EST.%^$The tournament will conclude with the championship game on Sunday, March 10,%^$at 3:30 p.m. EST on CBS.%^$
%^$Iowa became the lowest-seeded team to win the Big Ten Tournament last%^$season, as the sixth-seeded Hawkeyes won four games in four days to clinch%^$the tournament crown and an automatic NCAA Championship berth. Iowa’s win%^$ended a string of two-straight Big Ten Tournament titles by Michigan State,%^$as the Spartans won it all in 2000 and 1999, while Michigan won the%^$inaugural event in 1998.%^$
%^$A limited number of full-session ticket packages for the 2002 Big Ten%^$Conference Tournament are still available and on sale for $225 to the%^$general public. Tickets are available at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office,%^$Ticketmaster charge-by-phone numbers and www.ticketmaster.com.%^$The following page presents the bracket with teams, dates, times and%^$television.%^$
