NCAAB · 1 year ago

Big Ten Tournament Betting Guide: Can the Boilermakers Repeat?

David Connelly

Host · Writer

Big Ten Tournament Best Bet: Purdue (+110)
We refuse to get in the way of this train. Arguably the two best players in the league are on this team, including one of the most dominant players the sport has ever seen. To handle a brutal end to the season with a sweeping of Michigan State, Illinois, and Wisconsin just goes to show how ridiculous this Purdue team is. It seems most have taken them for granted, and we refuse to get fancy and turn our noses up at plus-money here. Back the Boilermakers to claim back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles this weekend.
Big Ten League Overview
We are going to learn a ton about the 13 games over the next five days in Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament. Seeding movement, NCAA Tournament hopes, and perhaps potential bid stealers will all be hashed out on the hardwood this week. Purdue is the obvious favorite here, but their price may not be quite as steep as you would expect. That's because six other teams sit at +2000 or shorter as a grouping that all has realistic NCAA Tournament hopes and will be gunning to add the Boilermakers to their resumé. We break down a few teams that could compete with them and who is worth a best bet when it's all said and done.
Big Ten Tournament Favorite: Purdue (+110)
We have run out of ways to describe this year's Boilermakers team. Every chance people get to doubt them, they make them pay. Purdue has a leg up on the competition for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they could honestly get first-rounded in the Big Ten Tournament and still have a strong case to be on the top left of the bracket on Sunday. Zach Edey has all but wrapped up back-to-back National Player of the Year awards, while Braden Smith has made a massive sophomore leap, providing the team with a reliable set of hands in the backcourt it was lacking a season ago. This team knows that judgment day won't come until the Big Dance gets underway, but adding another trophy to the cabinet never hurts.
Big Ten Tournament Challenger: Illinois (+300)
Illinois's obvious major roadblock is their inability to get over the hump that is Purdue. The Fighting Illini fell short twice in the regular season, albeit by single digits in both games. The return of Terrence Shannon Jr. to the lineup has clearly given this team a boost, and they possess an offense with him in the lineup that can go bucket for bucket with any team in the country. The defensive ceiling is what will define Illinois's chances in Minneapolis. If they can string together three days of even just average defense by Big Ten standards, they will have a shot at being crowned the kings of the Big Ten on Sunday afternoon.
Big Ten Tournament Dark Horse: Northwestern (+1500)
If the regular season taught us anything, it's that Northwestern head coach Chris Collins clearly knows something the rest of the country doesn't when it comes to competing with Purdue. The Wildcats handed the Boilermakers their first loss of the season back in December and took them to overtime in their own building two months later. Boo Buie may be the most underrated player in the country, and provides a leadership and go-to option that every team needs this time of year. Wisconsin's late-season freefall makes them a good matchup, and then they'd face the Boilermakers.
Big Ten Tournament Best Bet: Purdue (+110)
We refuse to get in the way of this train. Arguably the two best players in the league are on this team, including one of the most dominant players the sport has ever seen. To handle a brutal end to the season with a sweeping of Michigan State, Illinois, and Wisconsin just goes to show how ridiculous this Purdue team is. It seems most have taken them for granted, and we refuse to get fancy and turn our noses up at plus-money here. Back the Boilermakers to claim back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles this weekend.
Big Ten League Overview
We are going to learn a ton about the 13 games over the next five days in Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament. Seeding movement, NCAA Tournament hopes, and perhaps potential bid stealers will all be hashed out on the hardwood this week. Purdue is the obvious favorite here, but their price may not be quite as steep as you would expect. That's because six other teams sit at +2000 or shorter as a grouping that all has realistic NCAA Tournament hopes and will be gunning to add the Boilermakers to their resumé. We break down a few teams that could compete with them and who is worth a best bet when it's all said and done.