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Big 10 Tournament Opening Odds Favor Michigan State & Maryland; Co-Regular Season Champion Wisconsin Just +1200

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in College Basketball

Updated Nov 18, 2022 · 2:55 PM PST

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo yelling and pointing from the sidelines during a NCAA men's basketball game.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Michigan, Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
  • The Wisconsin Badgers are the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament but the Michigan State Spartans are favored to win at +300
  • The Maryland Terrapins have lost three of their last five games going into the tournament
  • The Big Ten has eight teams ranked in the Top-25. See below for a betting preview and prediction

The 2020 Big Ten Tournament will get underway on Wednesday, March 11 with all of the action happening in Indianapolis. The Wisconsin Badgers are the No. 1 seed in the tournament while the Michigan State Spartans are No. 2. In what is expected to be a competitive tournament, which team is the best bet?

2020 Big Ten Tournament Odds

Team (Seed) Odds
Michigan State Spartans (2) +300
Maryland Terrapins (3) +350
Michigan Wolverines (9) +500
Ohio State Buckeyes (7) +600
Iowa Hawkeyes (5) +800
Illinois Fighting Illini (4) +1000
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8) +1200
Wisconsin Badgers (1) +1200
Penn State Nittany Lions (6) +1400
Purdue Boilermakers (10) +2000
Indiana Hoosiers (11) +4000
Minnesota Golden Gophers (12) +4000
Nebraska Cornhuskers (14) +15000
Northwestern Wildcats (13) +15000

Odds taken March 8th.

Make your bets at one of these Maryland sportsbooks once legalized sports betting begins!

Big Ten Tournament Bracket

 

Badgers Are The Top Seed

Wisconsin will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed. They’re ranked No. 24 overall, which actually puts them behind six other teams in the Big Ten as No. 9 Maryland, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 18 Iowa, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 23 Illinois are all ranked higher than them. That’s why they’re not favored to win.

However, Wisconsin finished with a 14-6 conference record and went 2-1 against the other top two teams, so they earned the right to be the No. 1 seed in this tournament.

Wisconsin enters the tournament on an eight-game winning streak but many people are wondering what this little hot stretch means. Does it mean they’ve figured it all out and are surging at the right time? Or did they merely beat up on the weaker Big Ten teams to get on this run? The good seeding will keep them around for a bit but they’re not the best team in this conference.

Michigan State Is The Team To Beat

Michigan State had a really shaky start to February as they lost four of their first five games. In fairness, they lost to a bunch of good teams but it’s still not what you’d expect from the Spartans. The good news is how they ended the regular season, which was winning four straight over Top-25 teams.

Sparty looks like they’re finally starting to figure things out. Remember, this was a team that was among the favorites to win it all, according to the preseason 2020 National Championship odds. They fell down the list quite hard but they closed strong. They’re once again a team that’s going to be a factor in March Madness.

The key for them is just to get some help for Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman. When they are getting help from guys like Rocket Watts, Aaron Henry and others, they’re much more competitive. Watts has averaged 17.8 points per game over his last three, so with him on a roll and the Spartans hot, they’re the team to beat.

What About Maryland?

It’s interesting to note that Maryland has probably spent the most time in the Associated Press Top-10 of any Big Ten team this season. However, they slipped up down the stretch and enter the tournament with some question marks. They lost three of their last five, but two games were on the road and the other loss was to Michigan State.

The Big Ten Is A Gauntlet

To be honest with you, there are about five or six teams that could easily win this tournament and I wouldn’t be surprised. This is one heck of a deep conference. For perspective, Minnesota is the No. 12 seed in the tournament and they rank 29th in the KenPom ratings.

Penn State, who looked like they could win the regular season title a couple of weeks ago, isn’t even in the Top-4. There are eight 20-win teams, eight currently ranked in the Top-25, and nine projected to make the NCAA Tournament. This is going to be one heck of a gladiator tournament.

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What’s The Best Bet?

It’s really tough to make this prediction as there are so many good teams but I like the way Sparty is playing right now. With them getting help from the depth guys, they’re going to be hard to stop. They’re the chalk here but I think they make the most sense. Bet Michigan State.

Pick: Michigan State +300

SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:

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