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Big Ten March Madness Bubble Watch: Win and In for Ohio State?
- Get the best college basketball odds at BetUS.
- Six Big Ten teams are in the top 25 in the NCAA NET rankings.
- Read on for my March Madness breakdown for Big Ten teams this week.
The race for the top seed in the Big Ten tournament is down to Michigan State and Michigan. Things might not be decided until the Spartans and the Wolverines square off in East Lansing on Sunday. Michigan State is tied with Oregon for the longest active winning streak among Big Ten teams.
Seven Big Ten teams head into the week as 20-game winners, with the Spartans topping Wisconsin when listed by the BetUS sportsbook as the home favorite in one of the two Big Ten games played on Sunday.
UCLA is listed by the college basketball spread as a 3.5-point road favorite against Northwestern in the only Big Ten game scheduled for Monday.
While no Big Ten teams are in the top 10 in the NCAA NET rankings, six teams are in the top 25 with all of them hoping for spots in the March Madness bracket.
Michigan State (+2500) and Wisconsin (+4000) have the shortest odds of winning March Madness among Big Ten teams. Maryland (+5000), Michigan (+5000) and Purdue (+6000) are other teams to watch in the championship odds.
As the regular season winds down, BetUS is keeping tabs on the contenders and the bubble teams.
Big Ten March Madness Analysis
Oregon, Ohio State Top Big Ten Bubble Teams
Even with a five-game winning streak, per NCAAB betting trends, Oregon is still outside the top 30 in the NCAA NET rankings. The Ducks are 8-6 in Quad 1 games and have a pair of Quad 2 losses.
The Ducks can clinch a winning conference record in their first season in the Big Ten with a win over Indiana on Tuesday.
Had MKA on their feet after this @TheKee09 dagger. #GoDucks x @B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/MlPDCZfhx8
— Oregon Men’s Basketball (@OregonMBB) March 2, 2025
Ohio State has fallen to No. 36 in the NCAA NET rankings despite topping USC to snap a three-game losing streak. If the Buckeyes can beat Nebraska and Indiana, that could give Ohio State a better chance of earning an at-large bid into the March Madness tournament. A 4-4 record in Quad 2 games will not look good in the eyes of the NCAA selection committee.
Nebraska has dropped three games after falling at home to Minnesota when listed by the NCAAB basketball line as an 8.5-point favorite.
Weekend Loss Could Hurt NCAA Seeding for Michigan
Led by Jaden Akins’ 19 points, Michigan State is coming off a win over Wisconsin to keep the Spartans in contention to win the Big Ten regular-season title.
B1G TIME 😤 pic.twitter.com/Ol34QIOAa9
— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 2, 2025
The Spartans are 6-1 against ranked teams with a 9-3 mark in Quad 1 games. The Spartans could be a top 16 seed in the March Madness bracket. Michigan State is at No. 11 in the NCAA NET rankings.
Michigan was playing with fire in narrow wins over Nebraska and Rutgers. March began with the Wolverines losing by 20 points at home to Illinois in a game that knocked the Wolverines out of a tie for first place in the Big Ten standings.
With three Quad 2 losses, the Wolverines are sixth among Big Ten teams in the NCAA NET rankings. The regular season ends with games against Maryland and Michigan State. The finale could decide the conference title, per Michigan vs Michigan State stats.
Wisconsin is 1-2 in its last three games as the Badgers fell to No. 14 in the NCAA NET rankings. Wins over Minnesota and Penn State probably won’t move the Badgers into the top 10.
No. 13 Maryland and No. 17 Purdue are trending in the right direction as they are tied with Wisconsin for third in the Big Ten standings.
UCLA and Illinois are a combined 12-20 in Quad 1 games. Illinois is ahead of UCLA in the NCAA NET rankings. However, the Bruins are 5-2 against ranked teams.
Indiana Making Late Bubble Bid
Indiana could move into bubble team category after winning three games in a row. A win over Oregon on Tuesday would be a huge boost for an Indiana team that will make college basketball news by ramping up the search for a new head coach when the season comes to an end.
Northwestern is 3-9 in Quad 1 games and 4-4 in Quad 2 contests even after winning its last three games in February.
Iowa is just 1-11 in Quad 1 games and 0-4 against the ranked teams while Penn State is 15-15 after dropping its last two games.
Check Out Last Week’s Big Ten March Madness Bubble Teams Stats
Questions of the Day
Which Big Ten team has the best record against the spread?
Michigan State is 19-9-1 against the college basketball spread followed by Michigan at 19-10.
How many Big Ten teams played in the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament?
Six. Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin were all in the field of 68 with Purdue reaching the title game. Oregon also made the field in its final season in the Pac-12.
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets
