College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Preview - Big Ten
 
The countdown to the NCAA Tournament is less than one week away, and Selection Sunday is March 16. The small conference tourney's have started to finish with some teams punching their ticket to the Big Dance, and the West Coast Conference final is Tuesday, March 11 in Las Vegas between top seeds St. Mary's and Gonzaga. But the power conferences will crown their winners this week with many at-large teams completing the March Madness brackets. The Big Ten tournament tips off Wednesday, March 12, and 15 teams will try to take the title with 8 teams secure for March Madness next week according to ESPN's Bracketology. 

It's wall-to-wall basketball every day this week with conference tournament engaging action providing many of the most exciting games as the memorable moments build into March Madness and the most live bet games of the season as the media coverage ramps up for the NCAA Tournament. 

Bet on NCAA Basketball at one of these Elite-rated sportsbooks!

Follow the Big 12 and ACC tournaments and teams along with the SEC with those CCT's tipping off March 11. The top seeds Houston, Duke and Auburn lead a number of teams that will make the NCAA Tournament with top teams odds and stats to review as you craft your bets ahead of March Madness.   

While the college basketball conference tournaments and March Madness generate billions of dollars wagered, the money bet offshore is 3-4 times that amount. So, there are still many benefits to wagering offshore, and Off Shore Gaming Association provides benefits for players to get more out of their online gambling experience. Especially fans and bettors in the three most populous states that still do not offer wagering options with U.S. sportsbooks - California, Texas and Florida. Neither does Georgia, Alabama or South Carolina for SEC faithful fans, or Minnesota and Missouri, with the Show Me State pushing hard to change that yet this year. 

All odds provided by BetOnline, a top online sportsbook and the largest gaming company in Panama. 

Big Ten

Odds to win the Big Ten Conference tournament from BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. Each teams offensive and defensive efficiency ratings from KenPom.

Teams that did not qualify for the 15-team conference tournament include Nebraska, Penn State and Washington. 

Michigan State, Maryland, Michigan and UCLA are the top-4 seeds and receive double-byes ahead of their opening games Friday, March 14. 

Michigan State (17-3) won the regular season title and the Spartans are in a half of the bracket with Indiana (10-10), Oregon (12-8), UCLA (13-7) and Wisconsin (13-7). The MSU Spartans are the only defensive dominator in the Big Ten, although Maryland has moved up with a 7-1 finish and their only loss 58-55 to Michigan State. 

Purdue (13-7) is a No. 6 seed after leading the Big Ten race at 11-2 in early February, and they will battle Maryland (14-6) and Michigan (14-6) on a more favorable side of the bracket. The Boilermakers did not make the conference tournament final last year after winning the regular season title, but Purdue was still a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it to the national championship game before losing to Connecticut.  

Big Ten Stats, Trends and Notes

The value of having a bye in conference tournaments is typically significant, especially when they are believed to be the better team. In fact, heading into the 2025 action, VSiN research notes that conference tournament favorites off a bye are 312-106 SU and 219-191 ATS (53.4%) over the last five seasons against teams that played earlier in that tournament. 

- Big Ten tournament games with totals of 130 or less are on a 16-9-1 Over run. 
- Teams that are off a bye in the Big Ten tournament are 18-14 SU but 9-25-2 ATS versus teams that already played since 2018, contrary to notes above. 
- The Big Ten tournament semifinals are 10-4 Over the total since 2017, including Overs in the last six. 
- Big Ten tourney conference title game favorites are currently on a 4-4 SU and 2-6 ATS (25%) skid. However, Illinois (-3.5) did beat Wisconsin last year, 93-87. 

Michigan State claimed their 17th Big Ten title, including 11 under head coach Tom Izzo, tied for the most under any coach in Big Ten history. Michigan State's 17 Big Ten wins are the most in program history. Maryland's five starters — the team's five leading scorers - have a combined scoring average of 69.5, the highest among all major conference programs. The UCLA Bruins boast the Big Ten’s top scoring defense (65.1 ppg). Michigan won just 3 games in conference play last season, and first-year head coach Dusty May made a difference in Ann Arbor with 14 Big Ten wins. The oddsmakers still don't believe in Big Blue with the 8th longest odds to win the conference tournament. 

Big Ten Tournament Schedule 

The Big Ten basketball tournament is held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Games are televised on the Big Ten Network with the semi's and finals on CBS. The most recent Big Ten Conference tournament champions are Illinois (2-seed), Purdue (1), Iowa (5) and Illinois (2). Those teams beat lower-seeded 5, 10, 3, 5. 

First Round: March 12
Second Round: March 13
Quarterfinals: March 14
Semifinals: March 15
Championship: 3:30 p.m. March 16 on CBS  

Matchups and Odds 

Wed., March 12 

- No. 13 Northwestern (-3) vs. No. 12 Minnesota, 127.5
- No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 10 Ohio State (-5.5), 155.5
- No. 14 USC (-1) vs. No. 11 Rutgers, 154.5 

Thurs., March 13 

- No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oregon (-2), 143
- No. 13 Northwestern vs. No. 5 Wisconsin (-8), 141.5
- No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 7 Illinois (-11), 166
- No. 14 USC vs. No. 6 Purdue (-9), 151.5

Fri., March 14

- No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Michigan State (-5), 144
- No. 5 Wisconsin (-1) vs. No. 4 UCLA, 141.5
- No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 2 Maryland (-1.5), 159
- No. 6 Purdue (-3) vs. No. 3 Michigan (147.5)

Sat., March 15

- No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Michigan State (-3), 144.5
- No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 2 Maryland (-4), 150

Sun., March 16

No. 5 Wisconsin (-3.5) vs Michigan, 150.5

Michigan beat Wisconsin 59-53 to win Big Ten tournament with 3-straight victories as underdog. 

Select matchups and game odds with any additional stats and information you can bet on provided as able as the conference tournaments progress. 

Follow along and check out more college basketball conference tournament betting odds and futures at BetOnline.ag.

You can bet on it. 

FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst. He chips college basketball and additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on  X: @FairwayJay