The Big Ten Odds Tracker as of February 26, 2020

Oct 26, 2020 8:49 AM ET | By: matan

Big Ten Odds Report: The Terps Remain Atop the Big 10 Despite the Loss to the Buckeyes

By: Brent Booher

The Maryland Terrapins (22-5, 12-4 Big Ten) had their 9-game conference winning streak ended on Sunday at the hands of the Buckeyes, 79-72.

The loss prevented Maryland from opening up a three-game lead in the Big Ten conference with four games to go, and a win would have likely placed the Terps in position to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

However, Maryland does remain atop the Big Ten standings and an outright regular season championship is still in their control. This week, the Terps have a road trip to Minneapolis on Wednesday before returning home to play Michigan State on Saturday evening.

Entering this week’s action, the Terps remain the short favorites to win the Big Ten tournament (Big 10 Odds) with their odds of winning the National Championship set at +1600, good for the fourth best odds to win the title as of this writing.

Up Next:
February 26: at Minnesota (13-13, 7-9 Big Ten); February 29: vs. Michigan State (18-9, 10-6 Big Ten)

Penn State Drops Two Straight after Top Ten Ranking

Hopefully Penn State (20-7, 10-6 Big Ten) enjoyed their time as a Top 10 team, because as quickly as it came it has since departed.

The Nittany Lions dropped two games last week, the first a 62-56 loss to Illinois on Tuesday before falling 68-60 to Indiana on Sunday.

The losses caused Penn State to fall two games behind Maryland in the standings, and potentially risk the prospect of losing a top-four position in the Big Ten standings, and the coveted double-bye in the Big Ten Conference Tournament that comes with it.

This week looms large for the Nittany Lions with dates against Rutgers and Iowa on their schedule.

Oddsmakers are not overly concerned about Penn State’s chances going forward however, as they enter this week with their Big 10 Odds listed at +400. If you’re feeling extra spicy, you can take Penn State to win the whole enchilada at +3000.

Up Next:
February 26: vs. Rutgers (18-10, 9-8 Big Ten); February 29: at Iowa (19-8, 10-6 Big Ten)

Iowa Bounces Back at Home as Michigan State Awaits

A pair of 10-6 teams in conference will clash when Iowa heads to East Lansing on Tuesday to face Michigan State.

The Hawkeyes will look to score a huge road victory, something that has been a challenge for them this season, as they have struggled away from Iowa City in a big way.

They have been outstanding at home however, and on Thursday handed then #25 Ohio State a 85-76 loss on their home floor in a game that they controlled from the opening jump.

Michigan State had no trouble with Nebraska in a 22-point victory on Thursday, the lone game on the Spartans schedule last week.

Oddsmakers don’t exactly have Iowa listed as the favorite to win the Big Ten Tournament, but they’re not completely running away from them just yet either. The Hawkeyes are listed at +600 this week to win the Big Ten tourney, however they will need to figure out how to win outside of Iowa City to realistically have a chance to do this.

Badgers Home Cooking Has Them Dancing; Michigan Continues to Surge Up Standings

The Wisconsin Badgers (17-10, 10-6 Big Ten) continued their dominant play at home by sweeping a pair of home games last week with wins over Purdue and Rutgers.

The pair of victories gave Wisconsin a 13-1 record at the Kohl Center this season, and more importantly all but sealed their at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.

Thursday the Badgers will try to turn their road struggles around by playing the hottest team in the conference right now in the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten) has won five straight games and has looked like the same team that beat Gonzaga earlier this season ever since Isaiah Livers returned to the lineup.

The Wolverines pulled within a game of second-place, or more importantly for them, a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament coming up in a few weeks.

Oddsmakers are moving Michigan up the Big Ten Tournament futures board this week, listing them at +600 to take home the Big Ten tournament crown. However, they’re much smaller believers in the Badgers, listing them at +2500 to win the conference crown.

Handicapping the Rest of the Big Ten Conference

Illinois (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) ended a four-game losing streak last week with their big road win over then #9 Penn State 62-56. The Illini will return home on Monday for a date with lowly Nebraska, and a win there would all but seal their trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Rutgers (18-10, 9-8 Big Ten) figures to be safely in the tournament, but last week was not kind to the Scarlet Knights as they lost to Michigan 60-52 in their first home loss of the season, and 79-71 on the road to Wisconsin on Sunday.

This week they face another road challenge against a Penn State team that’s suddenly lost two straight games.

Indiana (18-9, 8-8 Big Ten) put itself in the thick of the at-large conversation again with a pair of wins over Minnesota and Penn State.

Ohio State (18-9, 8-8 Big Ten) fell to a good Iowa team in Iowa City before defeating the first-place Terrapins on Sunday. The Buckeyes continue to look like a dangerous mid-level seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Minnesota (13-13, 7-9 Big Ten) and Purdue (14-14, 7-10 Big Ten) hope to get into the field of 68, but both still remain on the wrong side of the bubble and need a lot of work to end the season.

Here’s how the rest of the Big Ten Tournament futures shake out entering this week’s play:

Ohio State +700
Illinois +1100
Purdue +2500
Indiana +3500
Minnesota +3500
Nebraska +50000
Northwestern +50000