2017 Big Ten tournament bracket: Ohio State earns 11 seed, will face Rutgers

The Big Ten regular season is now in the books, and that means the Big Ten Tournament bracket is finally set.

Ohio State earned the 11 seed, which means they’ll need to play in the tournament’s opening game. They’ll face Rutgers, who finished last in the conference. But don’t let that fool you, the Scarlet Knights are significantly improved, and Ohio State only barely beat them earlier in the year, winning 70-64.

Should Ohio State win, they’ll face Northwestern, who grabbed the six seed (the Wildcats squeaked past Ohio State earlier in the year, 74-72), and then Maryland, who grabbed the three seed. The Terps beat Ohio State both times this season.

If the Buckeyes want to make the Big Dance, they’re going to need to win the whole dang Big Ten Tournament, which will be a tall order. But if they can beat Rutgers, which is no guarantee, they have a chance to pick up at least one more win, and solidify what could be a good NIT seed.

The full bracket can be found below. Ohio State will face Rutgers at 7:00 PM ET on Wednesday.