Indiana, a legacy college basketball betting school, was the worst major college football program in history. Yet it won the national championship last week with a thrilling win over the Miami Hurricanes. Nebraska, a college football legacy program, asks: if a basketball school like Indiana could win a football national title, why can’t a football school win a basketball national title?
Consider that the Nebraska Cornhuskers continue to be the surprise story of the Big Ten and the college basketball season. The Huskers are 20-0 and ranked 7th in the nation. However, the gambling community is still not sold on the Huskers, at least as a top-tier favorite to win the national championship. Nebraska is striving to become what the Indiana Hoosiers were in the recently completed college football campaign.
The Big Ten is enjoying a strong season with five teams ranked in the national Top 11. Next, behind the Huskers in the Big Ten standings are the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, and Illinois Fighting Illini. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Badgers are successfully operating in the shadows.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Head coach Fred Hoiberg is having quite the career renaissance. Hoiberg was nearly fired after going 7-25, 7-20, and 10-22 in his first three seasons. But Hoiberg changed recruiting priorities, focusing on a team approach after trying to appeal to NBA-focused prospects who he believed would be impressed with his NBA credentials and contacts. Of course, Nebraska is not the most talented team in the Big Ten. But it is the toughest and most fundamentally sound team anyone can play.
Hoiberg won the 2024 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award when he took the Big Red to the NCAA Tournament. Correlate that Nebraska remains winless in its NCAA Tournament history, but that is expected to change this spring. Overall, Nebraska is 20-0 straight up, 12-8 against the spread, and 6-14 under the offshore bookmaker total. Gamblers continue to be impressed by Nebraska’s ability to maintain its betting value despite increased attention. The Huskers covered the spread in five of their last six games, with eight of their last nine games going under the total.
Out of 364 Division 1 teams, Nebraska ranks 143rd for scoring offense and 13th for scoring defense. It is the College hoops odds formula that has proven to be the perfect balance for the Huskers. Namely, Junior forward Pryce Sandfort leads the Huskers with 17.3 points per game. Sandfort is a transfer from the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he averaged 8.8 points per game last year with 22.4 minutes per game.
Next up for Nebraska is a January 27 road showdown against the Michigan Wolverines at 7 p.m. ET with coverage on Peacock. And then on February 1, the Huskers host the Illinois Fighting Illini at 4 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1.
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are getting lost in the Big Ten race’s attention shuffle. With so much power at the top, Wisconsin is getting overlooked by the casual sector. And the Wise Guys would not have it any other way.
Wisconsin is 14-5 straight up, 10-9 against the spread, and 12-7 over the total. Late on, Wisconsin is in its best form of the season with four payouts in its last five games. The Badgers went over the total in five of their last six outings. Wisconsin is only two games behind Nebraska for the Big Ten Conference lead.
Head coach Greg Gard has his share of detractors, but the record validates him as one of the best coaches in the Big Ten. Consider that Gard has taken the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament in seven of the nine times it was held, including five of the last six Big Dances. Previously, Gard led Wisconsin to the Big Ten regular-season title in 2020 and 2022, earning coach of the year honors both times.
Previously, Wisconsin has always been known as a defensive team under Gard. This year, that has been reversed. The Badgers rank 82nd for scoring offense and 174th for fewest points allowed. The Badgers will be enjoying home cooking this week. Wisconsin hosts the Minnesota Golden Gophers on January 28 at 9 p.m. ET with coverage on BTN. Next, on January 31, the Badgers host the Ohio State Buckeyes at 2 p.m. ET on FOX.