Big Ten Betting: Seedings Still at Stake
The top two seeds in the upcoming Big Ten tournament have already been claimed by Purdue and Illinois while Michigan will end up in last place in the conference standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The other spots still need to be finalized.
When looking at the NCAA basketball picks, Indiana won the road while Michigan State held off a spirited challenge from visiting Northwestern in Wednesday’s action. It remains to be seen how the home teams fare when teams looking to better their chances of securing at-large bids into the March Madness bracket try to seal the deal.
There are four games featuring teams with winning records set to square off this weekend, so there is plenty for those who bet online to consider.
Purdue is third behind Houston and UConn in both the national polls. Illinois moved up one spot to No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and went from 16th to 12th in the USA Today coaches poll. No other Big Ten team is in the top 25 in either national poll.
Purdue is second, Illinois is 16th, Wisconsin is 22nd and Michigan State is 23rd in the NCAA NET rankings, one of the tools used to select and seed the NCAA Tournament field. The next Big Ten team is No. 42 Nebraska with Northwestern not far behind at No. 52.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, Purdue (+750) has the second-best odds of winning the NCAAM championship. Illinois (+3000) and Michigan State (+6000) are the next Big Ten teams listed.
1. Minnesota (18-12 SU, 24-6 ATS) vs Northwestern (20-10, 16-12-2 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, March 9, 9 p.m. ET
- Minnesota vs Northwestern Live Stream: TBS.com
Despite losing its last two games, Northwestern is still tied for third place in the Big Ten standings. The Wildcats are 14-2 at home this season. Northwestern had won eight home games in a row before a recent loss to Iowa.
Minnesota needs to win to finish at .500 in conference play. It won’t be easy with a 2-7 road record this season.
Mike Mitchell had a season-high six assists in his last game for Minnesota and he also scored in double digits for the third game in a row.
Brooks Barnhizer has three double-doubles in the last four games for Northwestern. Keep that in mind when it comes to the NCAAB parlay picks.
The home team has won each of the last four games between the Golden Gophers and the Wildcats, with the winning team also covering in each of the last eight matchups. Minnesota was 75-66 as a 1.5-point home underdog in the Las Vegas odds on Feb. 3 as Dawson Garcia scored eight of his 20 points in overtime.
2. Wisconsin (19-11 SU, 12-17-1 ATS) vs Purdue (27-3 SU, 16-12-2 ATS)
- Date/Time: Sunday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. ET
- Wisconsin vs Purdue Live Stream:TBS.com
After winning on the road as a two-point underdog in early February, Purdue looks to sweep the season series from Wisconsin for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Wisconsin did win the last time the Badgers played at Purdue after the Boilermakers had won the previous five home matchups with Wisconsin.
Each of the last six games between the teams were decided by six points or less while six of the last eight meetings went over the total.
Purdue is very much in play for a No. 1 seed when the March Madness bracket comes out. A win on the road by Wisconsin would help the Badgers join Purdue in the NCAA Tournament.
Purdue’s Zach Edey, listed by the BetUS sportsbook as the front-runner in the national Player of the Year odds, is averaging 27.4 points and 11.7 rebounds over the last seven games.
Max Klemsit has 48 points over his last four games to provide a fourth scoring option for the Badgers. Wisconsin erased a nine-point deficit to top visiting Rutgers 78-66 on Thursday.
BADGERS WIN
AJ Storr scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Wisconsin to a 78-66 win over Rutgers. Wisconsin will seek its 20th win when it travels to face No. 3 Purdue in its regular season finale Sunday.
https://t.co/Rr3VKPqpRi— WKOW 27 News (@WKOW) March 8, 2024
Purdue is 7-7-1 against the spread at home. Wisconsin is tied for last in the Big Ten with a 2-9 record against the NCAAB lines on the road.
3. Illinois (22-8 SU, 15-12-3 ATS) vs Iowa (18-12 SU, 12-17-1 ATS)
- Date/Time: Sunday, March 10, 7 p.m. ET
- Illinois vs Iowa Live Stream: TBS.com
Thirteen of Iowa’s 18 wins this season have come on the road so that could bode well as the Hawkeyes look to finish over .500 in Big Ten play. Adding a second win of the season against a ranked team would make the body of work for the Hawkeyes look even better.
Sophomore Josh Dix had scored in double figures just once in his previous five games before posting at least 20 points in his last three games. If that continues, that could make Iowa a dangerous team moving forward.
Any chance Illinois had of winning the Big Ten regular-season title ended when the Fighting Illini failed to hold onto a six-point halftime lead against Purdue. Senior Marcus Domask had 20 points in the last game and is averaging 24.3 points over the last three games.
When Illinois won 95-85 on Feb. 24 as a 9.5-point home favorite, it was the sixth win in the last seven meetings for the Fighting Illini against Iowa. The Hawkeyes did win the last time that Illinois came to town.
Three of the last four games between the teams landed over the total.
Iowa is only 6-9-1 against the spread at home this season. Illinois is 6-3-1 ATS on the road.
Questions of the Day
Which Big Ten team has had the most games go over the total this season?
Illinois has seen 21 games land over the total during the 2023-24 season while 20 games played by Iowa and Purdue have landed over the total.
Which Big Ten teams have the best road records?
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Purdue (14-6) has the best road record among Big Ten teams. No other Big Ten team has a winning road record during that stretch.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
