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Big Ten First Round preview for Wednesday, March 9

We go over all of the action at today’s Big Ten Tournament, including game times, odds, and more.

NCAA Basketball: Nebraska at Ohio State Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten Tournament will begin with a doubleheader on Wednesday night, starting with a matchup between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Northwestern Wildcats, followed by the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Penn State Nittany Lions tipping off.

Every other team has a bye through the first round and will begin tournament play for the second round on Thursday or the quarterfinal round on Friday.

The event will run from March 9-13 from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

No. 13 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. No. 12 Northwestern Wildcats: 6:00 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

Point Spread: Northwestern -4
Point Total: 143

Nebraska finished 4-16 in Big Ten play this season and as bad as that record is, the Cornhuskers ended the regular season playing at a high level. Nebraska won their last three games including road games over the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers. Leading scorer Bryce McGowens missed the final game with a hand injury, so be sure to check for news prior to game time.

The pick: Nebraska +4

No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions: 8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

Point Spread: Penn State -3.5
Point Total: 125.5

Minnesota and Penn State will enter the second game of the Big Ten Tournament doubleheader with the two longest winning streaks in the conference. The Gophers lost four in a row, while the Nittany Lions lost their last three. This is a low total, but I’m still suggesting the under as both teams play extremely slow and outside of the top 300 nationally in possessions per game.

The pick: Under 125.5

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