Fans won’t need to fill out brackets for this tournament, which features pools of three teams each. Pools are lettered A through D, with MSU in pool A, competing with eighth-seeded Nebraska and top-ranked Oregon. 

MSU opens the tournament against Nebraska at 6 p.m. Tuesday and plays Oregon at the same time Thursday. Nebraska, preseason No. 24, has fluctuated throughout the year — rising as high as second in the conference and falling to 15th early in league play.

So far, Nebraska has excelled against middle- and lower-tier competition but struggled against top teams. The Cornhuskers took two of three from Michigan and Minnesota — teams that MSU lost series to — but dropped their series to USC, which MSU defeated 2-1.

The two teams will be evenly matched with similar styles of play. Both MSU and Nebraska rely on strong pitching and defense, but their offenses lag behind. Team ERAs are nearly identical, with MSU at 5.39 and Nebraska at 5.20. MSU and Nebraska are one and the same on offense, both teams are bottom-five in the conference in OPS, slugging and on-base percentage. 

Even against a below-average offense, MSU’s starting pitching will need to deliver if the Spartans hope to advance past pool play.

Thursday’s matchup against Oregon will be the ultimate test. The Ducks, ranked No. 4 in this week’s D1 Baseball poll, are chasing a tournament title after already claiming the Big Ten regular season crown.

Three weeks ago, MSU ace Joseph Dzierwa threw a complete-game shutout to beat Oregon 2-0. But the Ducks responded with two dominant wins to take the series. They lead the Big Ten with a .942 OPS, and pair their power hitting with a strong pitching staff.

Oregon enters the tournament on a hot streak after sweeping former Big Ten leader Iowa. They’ll pose MSU’s toughest challenge in pool play.

All Big Ten Tournament games will air on Big Ten Network, beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, with MSU set to play at 7:00 p.m. against Nebraska.