Big 10 Conference Tournament Betting Odds: Rutgers Set to Play Big Matchup vs No. 5 Purdue

The Big 10 tournament is well underway and the quarterfinals are set to start tomorrow. The Big 10 is typically one of the best basketball conferences, but this year they’re not as top-heavy. The Big 10 only has two teams in the AP Top 25. Last year’s tournament saw Iowa beat Purdue to win the conference tournament. With the Hawkeyes already eliminated it will be someone else that punches their ticket to the NCAA tournament this time around.

We’ll take a look at who those teams could be along with giving a complete odds table.

Rutgers is set to square off against the No. 5 ranked team in the land, Purdue. The two teams have faced each other only once this year, with Rutgers getting the better of the Boilermakers 65-64. Purdue was the top-ranked team in the country at the time, and their loss to Rutgers was their first of the season. 

Many college basketball experts have Rutgers on the bubble regarding whether they’ll make it into the NCAA tournament field of 68. They’ll face Purdue at 12 PM ET today. Rutgers is a 7.5-point underdog in the game.

The Scarlet Knight have been led this year by Clifford Omoruyi and Cam Spencer. They’re the only two players on the team averaging more than 10 points a game. Rutgers got their Big 10 tournament play started yesterday with a 62-50 win over Michigan. A win today over Purdue would put them in a good position to make the NCAA tournament.

The Indiana Hoosiers have the second-best odds to win the Big 10 tournament. Besides Purdue, the Hoosiers are the only other team in the Big 10 that is ranked. They’ll square off with Maryland today in what will be the fourth quarter-final to take place.

Indiana has struggled down the stretch. They’ve gone 3-3 in their last six games, but they did have a win over Purdue in that stretch. Indiana has gone 2-0 over Purdue this season and will represent the biggest threat to preventing the Boilermakers from winning the conference tournament. Indiana and Purdue are in line to meet in the Big 10 tournament final if they win out.

Indiana’s leading scorer this year is Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jackson-Davis is averaging over 20 points a game. The big man also pulls in eleven rebounds a game for the 19th-ranked team in the country. 

Ohio State came into the tournament with a 13-18 record. They’ve managed to win their first two games of the Big 10 tournament to reach the quarterfinals. The Buckeyes came into the tournament as the 13th-seeded team in a conference that has 14 teams. 

Bruce Thornton has helped power his team to victory in their last two games. Thornton scored 17 points in yesterday’s victory over Iowa, while freshman guard Brice Sensabaugh poured in an additional 16. 

Ohio State went 0-2 against Michigan State this year, losing their most recent matchup 84-78. Ohio State is a 4.5-point underdog according to BetMGM. If they win, they’ll take on the winner of the Purdue-Rutgers matchup on Saturday.

Indiana, who have the second-best odds to win this tournament, will only have seeding to play for. Indiana is currently projected to be a four seed, but winning the Big 10 tournament could raise them to the three seed.

Penn State is a bubble team in this year’s college basketball field. The Nittany Lions are 20-12 this season and will be looking to make their first NCAA tournament since the 2010-2011 season. They’ll take on Northwestern, a team that had the second-best Big 10 record in the conference this year.

Rutgers has the sixth-best odds to win the Big 10 tournament. If they were to win today over a top-seeded Purdue, their odds would shrink significantly.