Big Ten Tournament odds, betting analysis, prediction and schedule

The Big Ten Tournament kicks off today at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, March 17. The current bracketology boards have six of the 14 teams making the big dance. The Purdue Boilermakers are the cream of the crop again this year, coming into the tournament ranked No. 3 in the country. 

The Boilermakers only have three losses on the season and are the favorites to win it all, but there are enough challenges in the conference that could lead to an upset. Tipoff of the first game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on Peacock. 

If you’re looking for betting action, check out the tournament insight below before placing any wagers. 

Live Big Ten Tournament odds

Here are the live college basketball betting odds for the Big Ten Tournament on the top sports betting apps:

Big Ten tournament schedule

Here is the full Big Ten Conference Schedule.

Wednesday, March 13

• Game 1: No. 12 Maryland vs. No. 13 Rutgers (6:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 2: No. 11 Penn State vs. No. 14 Michigan (9 p.m. ET0

Thursday, March 14

• Game 3: No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Minnesota (12 p.m. ET) 
• Game 4: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner (2:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 5: No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Ohio State (6:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 6: No. 6 Indiana vs. Game 2 winner (9 p.m. ET)

Friday, March 15

• Game 7: No. 1 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner (12 p.m. ET) 
• Game 8: No. 4 Northwestern vs. Game 4 winner (2:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 9: No. 2 Illinois vs. Game 5 winner (6:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 10: No. 3 Nebraska vs. Game 6 winner (9 p.m. ET)

Saturday, March 16

• Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (6:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (8 p.m.)

Sunday, March 17

• Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (6:30 p.m. ET)

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Big Ten Tournament favorite, top contenders

Purdue

The Boilermakers’ big man Zach Edey is tied for first in the nation in points per game, averaging 24.2 a night. His dominance on the inside makes their offense one of the best in the country. They are eighth in points per contest, 11th in field goal percentage, and second in three-point percentage. Edey creates the bulk of the looks for his teammates, who knock down shots more often than not to make opposing teams pay for doubling Edey. 

However, their dependency on the three ball to counter the traps down low also makes them vulnerable. In two of their three losses, they were completely abysmal from the deep. 

Illinois

The Fighting Illini have their own electric scorer in Terrance Shannon Jr., who is eighth in the country in scoring, putting up 21.6 per contest. However, they lost both matchups against Purdue this year. In the one game Shannon played against them, he shot 23% from the field and only scored 11 points at home. Fortunately, they are the two seed and wouldn’t have to face Purdue until the championship round. 

If they make it to the championship round, there is a chance Purdue won’t be left standing to derail their desires for winning the conference. 

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers are the fourth best scoring team in the conference and the sixth best defense. They are the only team in the conference to be top six on both sides of the ball. They are well-rounded, which led to a few upsets during the season. The Cornhuskers defeated the then No. 1 Boilermakers, No. 6 Wisconsin, and just lost a thriller in overtime on the road to then No. 14 Illinois. 

Although unranked, they have been a thorn in the sides of the heavyweights in the Big Ten and are primed to play spoiler in the conference tournament. 

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Big Ten Tournament prediction

Northwestern nearly defeated Purdue twice this season, but instead ended up splitting the two games in two overtime matchups. Given how the bracket sets up, they could be there to take the boilermakers off the board in the semi-finals. With Purdue not around in the finals, we like Illinois over Northwestern in a thriller.

Pick: Illinois