Michigan Earns No. 1 Seed, Awaits Quarterfinals at Big Ten Tournament
3/8/2026 9:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- After securing the program's 16th Big Ten regular-season title, the third-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team earned its third No. 1 seed and a triple bye for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, held Tuesday through Sunday (March 10-15) at the United Center in Chicago.
This year, the conference postseason tournament expands to include all 18 Big Ten teams. With the additional teams, an extra day was added on Tuesday (March 10). Finishing among the top four in the league, U-M earned its first-ever triple bye and advanced directly to the quarterfinals on Friday (March 13) with an 11 a.m. CT (Noon ET) tipoff on the Big Ten Network.
In its bracket pod, the Wolverines, who will look to defend their 2025 title, could face No. 8 seed Ohio State, No. 9 seed Iowa, No. 16 seed Oregon or No. 17 seed Maryland in their opening tournament game.
Winning the 2026 Big Ten title by four games with a 19-1 record, Michigan earned the No. 1 seed for just the third time in program history. In 2014, U-M was the top seed but fell to third-seeded Michigan State in the championship game. During the COVID-19 pandemic season in 2021, the Wolverines again earned the top seed but lost in the semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium, falling 68-67 to fifth-seed Ohio State after missing a last-second game-winning attempt.
Last year at Indianapolis in Dusty May's first season, the third-seeded Wolverines won three games in three days to capture the program's fourth tournament title (1998, 2017, 2018, 2025), defeating fifth-seeded Wisconsin, 59-53.
This season, Michigan has recorded one of the most dominant seasons in program history. The Wolverines enter postseason play with a 29-2 record, highlighted by 24 wins by double figures, including 13 by 20 or more, 10 by 30 or more, and a Big Ten-record seven victories by 40 or more points, along with one win by 50 or more points.
In a record-breaking conference regular season, U-M won its final 15 Big Ten games to set the program and conference record with 19 league victories. The Wolverines surpassed their previous 16-win seasons in 1984-85 and 1976-77. Michigan also topped Indiana's back-to-back 18-win seasons in 1974-75 and 1975-76, when the Hoosiers went undefeated (36-0) in Big Ten play over those two years.
Making more history, Michigan's 10-0 Big Ten road record helped the Wolverines become the second team in conference history, and the first in 50 years, to finish league road play unbeaten, joining Indiana's 9-0 mark during its perfect 1975-76 season.
U-M collected five Big Ten regular-season wins against AP Top 10 opponents, tying the program record set by the 1964-65 team for the most in a regular season.
In May's first two seasons, he has back-to-back 27-plus win seasons and a 56-12 overall record. After a runner-up Big Ten finish in 2025, he captured his first regular-season title this season and owns a 33-7 league record over the last two years.
2026 Big Ten Tournament Seeding
Chicago, Ill. (United Center)
1. Michigan (19-1)
2. Nebraska (15-5)
3. Michigan State (15-5)
4. Illinois (15-5)
5. Wisconsin (14-6)
6. UCLA (13-7)
7. Purdue (13-7)
8. Ohio State (12-8)
9. Iowa (10-10)
10. Indiana (9-11)
11. Minnesota (8-12)
12. Washington (7-13)
13. USC (7-13)
14. Rutgers (6-14)
15. Northwestern (5-15)
16. Oregon (5-15)
17. Maryland (4-16)
18. Penn State (3-17)
