Big Ten Tournament 2023: Expert Picks and Predictions

Big Ten Tournament 2023: Expert Picks and Predictions

One of the most unpredictable conference tournaments has to be the Big Ten. When looking at the conference, there is a flurry of teams that could rattle off a few wins and punch their tickets to the Big Dance just hours before the Selection Sunday Show. 

Purdue was on top of the top 25 for a lot of the year, and the Boilermakers could very well get a No. 1 seed in the Field of 68. 

Nonetheless, let’s examine the Big Ten tournament bracket and seedings. 

The Big Ten Tournament begins on Wednesday with Minnesota and Wisconsin facing off, and the winner playing Maryland. The other game is Ohio State vs Wisconsin with the winner facing Iowa, and the top four seeds are off until Friday. 

Big Ten Tournament Preview 

Looking at the field, it’s easy to roll with Purdue to win the whole thing. However, you might want to think twice. The Boilermakers have lost three of the last six games, with those losses coming to Northwestern, Maryland, and Indiana. 

They barely beat Wisconsin and Illinois over the final two games, and everybody is aiming for Purdue. 

Northwestern saw a recent skid of its own with three losses before finally winning against Rutgers to finish off the year, and they could very well see Illinois again (who beat them two weeks ago) on Friday afternoon. If they get past the Illinois-Penn State winner, they likely face Maryland, another team that beat them a couple of weeks ago. 

Indiana finished the year 3-3, but one of those wins came against Purdue on the road and another in a thrilling finish over Michigan on Sunday. The Hoosiers are a trendy pick here, and they could cruise to the Big Ten title game in a rematch with Purdue. 

The 8-9 game between Rutgers and Michigan is wildly entertaining. To be fair, either of these teams could make a run, and Rutgers handed Purdue its first loss of the year by one point, at home. Purdue only played Michigan once and barely won by five points, so either team could upset Ourdue, especially with the Boilermakers more than locked into a top-2 seed in the Big Dance. 

Prediction 

Here goes, and it’s nearly impossible. A few weeks ago, I would’ve gone with Northwestern, but their struggles lately are concerning. Indiana is also an interesting team, but they beat Purdue and then lost to Iowa at home by 22 in a strange game only to beat Michigan. 

Purdue losses its first game to the winner of Rutgers-Michigan, but Iowa beats Michigan State and gets to the Big Ten final. The Hawkeyes lose to the Hoosiers as Trayce Jackson-Davis gets revenge and shows that he is one of the best players in the country. 

Outright Winner Pick: Indiana (+550)

Runner-Up: Iowa (+2200)

Longshot: Michigan (+2500)

All odds provided by DraftKings as of 3/6/23