Buckeyes begin Big Ten Tournament with decent betting odds
COLUMBUS — Ohio State got a taste of the Big Ten gauntlet at the end of the regular season, playing three top 10 teams in its last four games.
The test didn’t bode well, as the Buckeyes now enter this week’s Big Ten Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on a four-game slide. According to the folks at VegasInsider.com, Ohio State’s odds of winning the conference tournament are now +1000.
Despite the losing streak to close out the regular season, the Buckeyes are still ranked in the top 10 at No. 9 in the latest AP Poll. Three other Big Ten teams are ranked in the top five, making the conference arguably the best in the country.
“I’m not looking at anything in terms of the streak,†said Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann after Saturday’s regular-season finale. “I just think we’re trying to get better from one game to the next. We learned from the Iowa game, we were better [Sunday] and we have to learn from it and keep moving forward into next week. The schedule is what it is.
“We’re trying to take from one game to one practice, get better and move forward.â€
The Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday. (G Fiume/Getty Images)
The Buckeyes open the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday against the winner of Wednesday night’s Northwestern-Minnesota game.
Michigan is the betting favorite at +175, but has lost two of its last three games. Illinois is a good pick at +300, winning 11 of its last 12 including a 73-68 victory over Ohio State on Saturday.
Michigan State might be the sleeper pick of the tournament, however, with odds of +3500. Tom Izzo’s team has gone 7-4 to close out Big Ten play after dropping seven of their first nine games. The Spartans won the 2019 Big Ten Tournament over Michigan, 65-60.
Big Ten Tournament betting odds via VegasInsider.com
Michigan +175
Illinois +300
Iowa +400
Ohio State +1000
Purdue +1200
Wisconsin +2000
Rutgers +2500
Michigan State +3500
Indiana +5000
Maryland +5000
Minnesota +6600
Penn State +6600
Northwestern +15000
Nebraska +30000
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