2025 Big Ten Conference Basketball Tournament

On Wednesday, March 12th, the Big Ten tournament begins in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. All year long, this has been one of the best conferences in college basketball. Heading into this tournament, eight teams look like near-locks to make the NCAA Tournament. And there’s still another two looking to play their way in, adding to the intrigue with this 15-team field. Michigan State is the top seed in the conference, and the Spartans ended their season with a convincing win over Michigan on Sunday. But several other teams will feel like they can knock Michigan State off. With all of that in mind, let’s get into a Big Ten tournament betting preview, highlighting a darkhorse, some players to watch and a pick to win.

How to Watch the Big Ten Conference Tournament

When: March 12 – March 16

 

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Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana

Format: Top 15 teams participate in tournament; Top-nine teams receive first-round byes; Top-four teams receive double-byes to quarterfinals

Watch: Peacock/Big Ten Network/CBS; Championship game on CBS at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, March 16th

College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings

Big Ten Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

  1. Michigan State Spartans (+250)
  2. Maryland Terrapins (+350)
  3. Michigan Wolverines (12-1)
  4. UCLA Bruins (+650)
  5. Wisconsin Badgers (+650)
  6. Purdue Boilermakers (+650)
  7. Illinois Fighting Illini (+750)
  8. Oregon Ducks (28-1)
  9. Indiana Hoosiers (60-1)
  10. Ohio State Buckeyes (65-1)
  11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (200-1)
  12. Minnesota Golden Gophers (500-1)
  13. Northwestern Wildcats (200-1)
  14. USC Trojans (250-1)
  15. Iowa Hawkeyes (250-1)


Big Ten Tournament Bracket

Favorite To Win the Big Ten Conference Tournament

Michigan State will be expected to win the Big Ten tournament. Tom Izzo’s team rattled off seven wins in a row to end the season, and the Spartans ended up finishing 10th in our VSiN Power Ratings, eighth in KenPom’s efficiency rankings and 12th in Bart Torvik’s efficiency rankings. This Spartans team is absolutely incredible defensively, ranking as a top-10 defensive squad pretty much everywhere. The Spartans have also gotten a bit better offensively as the season has progressed, with freshman Jase Richardson giving the team a jolt with his ability to score. He had at least 11 points in the final nine games of the regular season, and his ability to put the ball in the hole gives Michigan State another dimension. Now, the Spartans will look to win this tournament for the first time since 2019.

Big Ten Conference Tournament Darkhorse

If you’re looking for a long shot, I’d say your best bet is Oregon. The Ducks have a difficult road in this tournament, but they’re good on both ends of the floor and have Dana Altman pulling the strings. There aren’t many coaches in the country that can say they’re better than Altman in March. Oregon also happens to have a force down low in center Nate Bittle, and the guard duo of Jackson Shelstad and Keeshawn Barthelemy can compete with anyone. The team also has a couple of other players that can rise to the occasion on any given night.

Oregon also happened to end the regular season with seven consecutive wins, including a road victory over Wisconsin. The Ducks, who beat the Terrapins earlier in the year, are hot at the right time and nobody will want to see them in Indianapolis. When they’re playing well, they’re as good as anyone.

Players to Watch in the Big Ten Conference Tournament

Purdue’s Braden Smith is probably the best player in the conference — and has a claim to be the best point guard in the country. Smith leads the Big Ten in BPM (10.2) and is averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He’s also shooting 39.7% from 3 on 6.1 attempts per game. Smith is a dynamic playmaker that can also create for himself, and he reads the game as well anyone in college basketball. As long as he’s on the floor, the Boilermakers can beat anybody. And the presence of Trey Kaufman-Renn doesn’t hurt either. The forward leads the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game. He’s a great play finisher and makes for a great running mate for Smith.

As mentioned earlier, Richardson is a stud for Michigan State. However, he’s not alone. The Spartans are loaded with talent, with Jaxon Kohler, Tre Holloman and several others being capable of doing big things on any given night. Kohler is actually 12th in the conference in BPM. Coen Carr is also an athletic player that has a strong analytic profile. It’s just interesting to see this team play every night, as Izzo has a ton of players he’s willing to ride. You never quite know what you’re going to get.

For Maryland, Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie are the main players. Queen is a surefire NBA talent that could go in the lottery this year. He’s a massive body but has a feathery touch around the paint, the ability to beat slower bigs off the dribble and also some really strong court awareness. He’s a good passer for a center. And Gillespie is the team’s best guard, but you also can’t go wrong heaping praise on any of the other starters. Maryland has a strong starting five and everybody plays a role.

With Michigan, everything kind of starts with the bigs. Vladislav Goldin, a former FAU standout, and Danny Wolf, one of last year’s March Madness stars with Yale, make up the best frontcourt in the conference. Both players are big, tough and highly skilled. That said, if any of the Wolverines guards put together a strong week in Indianapolis, the team can do something special. That would most likely come from Tre Donaldson, but Michigan will take perimeter help from wherever it can get it.

Wisconsin has some real hoopers this year, with John Tonje being a nightly threat to score 20 points, plus John Blackwell combining with him to form a lethal backcourt. Also, Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter make up a massive frontcourt. However, that big man tandem for the Badgers isn’t as consistent as you’d like, and Winter was banged up towards the end of the season.

UCLA guard Eric Dailey Jr. is a player to watch heading into the week. UCLA flew a little under the radar this season, but this team is seeded fourth thanks in large part to Dailey and Tyler Bilodeau. The Bruins are absolutely remarkable defensively, so if those two can play well offensively then a run isn’t out of the question.

Let’s also shout out some of the elite NBA prospects that play in the conference, like Rutgers freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, as well as Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis. The Scarlet Knights might not have much hope this tournament, but both players are tremendous talents and will be drafted in the top 10 come June. Jakucionis will likely be a top-10 pick as well, as he’s one of the best pick-and-roll guards in college basketball and has good size for a lead guard.

I’ll also note that Indiana does have some players. The Hoosiers had a disappointing season and Mike Woodson is leaving because of that. However, they played a little better down the stretch, they’re playing close to home and they have talent: Oumar Ballo is a difference maker in the middle, and the Hoosiers have a bunch of other players that can help him on the right night.

Betting Pick to Win the Big Ten Conference Tournament

How about Purdue? Matt Painter’s team benefits from not having to face Michigan State until a potential final, and the Boilermakers should like their chances against some of the higher-seeded teams in their half of the bracket. If Purdue beats the winner of the 11 vs. 14 game, the Boilermakers will have a great shot against a Wolverines team that wasn’t nearly as good as its record this season. Also, barely anything separates second-seeded Maryland and Purdue in most efficiency rankings. On top of that, the Boilermakers won’t be playing far from home. Purdue also arguably has the best point guard in college basketball in Smith, and the team has a ton of talent elsewhere. That said, I wouldn’t rule it out for the 2023 Big Ten tournament champs. Bart Torvik has Purdue as the second-best team in the Big Ten, and only 0.009 separates the Boilermakers and the top-seeded Spartans.

Makinen Power Ratings for the Big Ten

  • Against public perception, games with totals of 130 or less are on a 16-9-1 Over (69.6%) run in the Big Ten tournament.
  • Teams that are off a bye in the Big Ten tournament are 18-14 SU but 9-25-2 ATS (26.5%) versus teams that already played since 2018.
  • The Big Ten tournament semifinals are 10-4 Over the total (71.4%) since 2017, including Overs in the last six.
  • Big Ten tourney conference title game favorites are currently on a 4-4 SU and 2-6 ATS (25%) skid. However, Illinois (-3.5) did beat Wisconsin last year, 93-87.

More Steve Makinen Conference Tournament Betting Trends.

Check out the other previews in our 2025 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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