March Madness odds on the Big 10 Tournament are on the board starting on Thursday with first round games. Michigan plays Iowa, Northwestern faces Indiana and Minnesota plays Penn State. The big boys in March Madness betting, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan State will play on Friday.
March Madness odds are likely to favor Ohio State as they are playing as well as any team in the country. They could even steal a top seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament if they run the table in the Big 10 Tournament. Evan Turner is a contender for the Player of the Year award and Ohio State looks like a team that is going to be tough to stop. Ohio State has more than just Turner as Jon Diebler is a very good outside shooter while Dallas Lauderdale and David Lighty can rebound. The Big 10 Tournament is really Ohio State’s to lose. They have a great draw as they face the winner of Iowa and Michigan and then the winner of Wisconsin and Illinois. The Buckeyes should be playing in the Big 10 title game on Sunday.
Purdue shared the Big 10 title with Ohio State but without Robbie Hummel they are simply not as good in March Madness betting. Purdue might even struggle to get by the winner of Northwestern and Indiana and if they survive that game they are probably going to face Michigan State in the semifinals and that looks like a loss. Northwestern could be the team that ends up playing Michigan State if Purdue is not careful. The Wildcats didn’t play well down the stretch but they have the potential to do well in this tournament.
Minnesota is a team that is on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The problem for the Gophers is that to make the big dance they are going to have to beat Penn State and then Michigan State in the quarterfinals. It doesn’t look promising against the Spartans. Michigan State would seem to have the path to the Big 10 title game against Ohio State but their road is tougher,
The star player of the Big 10 Tournament is likely to be Turner. He has simply made Ohio State into a Final Four contender. If he doesn’t win the tourney MVP then it would be a surprise. An Ohio State-Michigan State Big 10 Tournament final is what most are predicting in March Madness odds.