Big 10 Championship NCAA Basketball March Madness Outlook & Betting Preview

The Big Ten Conference might be the best conference in the country again this season, and as many as nine teams from the league could be headed to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. All of that will get figured out this week, though, as the Big Ten Tournament is set to take place in Indianapolis.

The Illinois Fighting Illini are the reigning champions of this event, and they are also the top overall seed. There are about 6-7 teams that feel like they have a shot at winning this title, and that should lead to plenty of drama and excitement.

The winner of the Big Ten Tournament could improve its seed for March Madness, and that will be the goal of the top teams in the conference. For the rest of the teams, this week will provide a chance to play their way into the NCAA Tournament or at least build momentum for next season.

Don’t be surprised to see some upsets this weekend, but ultimately the best teams will rise to the top.

The Current Odds

Before we get too far into this preview, we need to take a look at the updated betting odds to win the Big Ten Tournament. These odds might move again before the games tip-off, and they will shift after each round has passed.

Here are the odds:

Purdue +175

Illinois +275

Iowa +400

Wisconsin +800

Ohio State +1200

Michigan +1400

Rutgers +1400

Michigan State +1600

Indiana +2200

Northwestern +6600

Penn State +8000

Nebraska +5000

Maryland +10000

Northwestern +10000

Minnesota +10000

As you can see, there are four teams that clearly stand out from the rest of the pack, at least in terms of the betting odds. Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin all seem to be the betting favorites, but that doesn’t mean that things will play out this week in Indianapolis.

Hope For Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes enter the Big Ten Tour nament as a number six seed, and that has to feel like a pretty big disappointment. Ohio State appeared to be a lock for a double-bye just a few weeks ago, but a poor finish will have them starting their run on Thursday.

The odds for the Buckeyes don’t look good (+1200), but we are in the month of March, and upsets are always going to be a part of it. Ohio State has proven that they can beat the top teams in this league, and there is now some significant value if you want to back the Buckeyes. 

Illinois/Purdue Championship Matchup?

Even though the Big Ten Conference is loaded with some great teams, it appears as if we are headed for another Illinois-Purdue matchup in the title game. This would be the third meeting of the season between the Fighting Illini and the Boilermakers, and Purdue has won each of the first two meetings.

There could always be a surprise team that makes a run but look for Illinois and Purdue to navigate through the difficult field.

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