Big Ten Tournament 2015 schedule: Bracket breakdown, First Round

The 2015 B1G men's basketball tournament begins Wednesday with two games featuring the 11-seed Minnesota Gophers against the 14-seed Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the 12-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. the 13-seed Penn State Nittany Lions.

Ladies and gentlemen, the #B1GTourney bracket it set. http://t.co/iVZKwY5HkF #MarchOnBTN pic.twitter.com/vTdzhqrN6s

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 9, 2015

Game 1: 12-seed Nebraska (13-17, 5-13) vs. 13-seed Penn State (16-15, 4-14)

Gametime: 4:30 p.m. EDT

TV: ESPN2

Online streaming: BTN2Go

Nebraska, who many were expecting to be one of the better teams in the B1G this season, dropped all the way to the conference's 12-seed after losing to Maryland in the regular season finale. The Cornhuskers could have received a first round bye had they defeated the Terps, but instead they'll have to face off against the Nittany Lions Wednesday afternoon. In its only match-up against Penn State back on Feb. 7, in State College, Nebraska lost to the Lions, 56-43.

Penn State began the season as one of the biggest surprises in college basketball, jumping out to a 12-1 record. But once Big Ten play began, reality set in for the Nittany Lions as they lost their first six B1G games. Penn State finished with just four conference wins, but one of those did come against Nebraska.

Game 2: 11-seed Minnesota (17-14, 6-12) vs. 14-seed Rutgers (10-21, 2-16)

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. EDT

TV: Big Ten Network

Online streaming: BTN2Go

Minnesota began the year in a similar fashion to Penn State, winning 11 of its first 13 games heading into conference play. And much like the Nittany Lions, the Gophers dropped their first 5 conference games. Minnesota did have some bright spots in B1G play, including a stretch where it won three straight. They also defeated Purdue, Michigan State, and Iowa. But their six conference wins weren't enough to keep them out of the action on Day 1 of the tournament. The Gophers defeated Rutgers in their only appearance this season, a nine-point victory back on Jan. 17.

Rutgers had the year many expected the Scarlet Knights to have. While its football team did better than most expected, its basketball team struggled mightily under second-year head coach Eddie Jordan. You saw glimpses of potential from the Scarlet Knights this season, most notably in their shocking five-point upset win over Wisconsin on Jan. 11. But following that win over the Badgers, Rutgers has yet to win another game, losing 14 straight.