Big Ten Betting Roundup: Ohio State at Illinois Takes Center Stage
No. 1 Purdue Could Get Tough Test at Michigan

The Big Ten betting roundup offers up several solid NCAAB games this week. There’s only one team in the Big Ten ranked in the polls, as these teams take turns beating each other.
Of course, the lone ranked team in the conference is No. 1 Purdue, but there are several others who are one of the best 25 NCAAB teams in the country.
Penn State Lions vs Scarlet Knights
Date & Time:
Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, N.J.)
Streaming: Big Ten Network
Penn State (13-6) visits Rutgers (13-6) in a solid matchup to kick-off this week’s Big Ten betting roundup. The Scarlet Knights are favored by 6.5 and the total on the game is 130. This is one of the more interesting games on Tuesday’s NCAAB schedule.
Penn State is one of the best 3-pointing teams in the country. The Nittany Lions score 44% of their points from 3-point territory and shoot 39.4% from outside. Rutgers is No. 23 in the nation defending the 3-pointer, allowing 29.6%.
If Penn State can hit some from the outside, they’ll be in this one until the final buzzer. If Rutgers shuts down Penn State from the outside, this one will be ugly. But Penn State has a shooter’s chance here and the spread is generous.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Illinois Fighting Illini
Date & Time:
Location: State Farm Center (Champaign, Illinois)
Streaming: ESPN
Probably the best game on Tuesday’s schedule, Ohio State (11-8) visits Illinois (13-6). The Illini are favored by 4 and the total is 145.5. The Buckeyes can score but may be short-handed a bit for this one. Forward Zed Key has found himself on the college basketball injury report of this week, after leaving last game with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as questionable for this one.
Ohio State can hit the offensive boards and that’s not a strength of the Illinois defense. This one could come down to the wire and it’s hard to trust an Illinois team that shoots 65.3% from the foul line in a close game. Have to lean with the underdog in this one.
Wisconsin Badgers vs Maryland Terrapins
Date & Time:
Location: Xfinity Center (College Park, Maryland)
Streaming: Big Ten Network
The Big Ten betting roundup has a pretty solid game here, as the Wisconsin Badgers (12-6) visit Maryland (12-7). The Terrapins will be close to 5-point favorites and the total will be on the low side, about 125.5. Both teams are much better on defense and don’t really force the tempo, so a low total is warranted.
Wisconsin shoots the 3-pointer well but that’s about it. Maryland happens to be tough against the 3-pointer, holding foe’s to less than 30% from long range. The Terrapins aren’t a good shooting team themselves, so points will be tough to come by in this one. The under could be worth a look if the number is at least 125.
Iowa Hawkeyes vs Michigan State Spartans
Date & Time:
Location: Breslin Center (East Lansing, Mich.)
Streaming: FOX Sports 1
A solid game here, where Michigan State (13-7) will be favored by about 3 points over Iowa Hawkeyes (12-7) with a total close to 148. Iowa has one of the top offenses in the country, ranked No. 5 in adjusted offensive efficiency, while MSU is solid defensively. The Spartans can score a bit themselves and Iowa’s defense isn’t a strong suit.
The Hawkeyes are going to try and force the tempo here but the Spartans will look to avoid a track meet and slow it down. The Spartans are solid from 3-point range and won’t get much resistance from the Iowa defense.
Purdue Boilermakers vs Michigan Wolverines
Date, Time: Thursday, Jan. 26, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Breslin Center (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Streaming:FOX Sports 1
Another pretty strong game, as No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers (19-1) visits Michigan Wolverines (11-8) in a game that may not be as easy as it looks for the Boilermakers. Purdue will be favored by about 5 points with a total near 139. Purdue is better offensively and defensively.
The Boilermakers are No. 4 in adjusted offensive efficiency on the strength of their offensive rebounding, where they are one of the best teams in the country. The Wolverines are going to have to box out and not give up second chances in order to keep this one close.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Wisconsin Badgers
Date, Time: Saturday, Jan. 28, 3 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Center (Champaign, Illinois)
Streaming: FOX
A decent game to begin the final day of the Big Ten betting roundup, as Illinois visits Wisconsin. The line will be pretty close to even with a total in the lower 130s. Illinois Illini took care of the Badgers at home on Jan. 7, coming away with a 79-69 victory. The Wisconsin Badgers were just 8 for 29 from 3-point range in the game, which was too much for them to overcome. Illinois attempted 26 free throws to just 12 for the Badgers, which didn’t help Wisconsin’s cause any.
This could be a letdown spot for Illinois depending on how it fares against Ohio State earlier in the week. An Illini victory, couple with a Wisconsin loss to Maryland, would set up a decent situation for the Badgers.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Indiana Hoosiers
Date, Time: Saturday, Jan. 28, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Assembly Hall (Bloomington, Indiana)
Streaming: FOX
The Indiana Hoosiers will be favored by about 3 points with a total close to 150 in this one. Both teams are better offensively than they are on defense, which is the main reason for the lofty total. Both teams are in the top 20 in shooting 3-pointers, so we could see some points in clusters, which may bode well for the over. Indiana will look to play at a faster pace than Ohio State prefers.
Neither defense forces many turnovers, so the teams may be able to score enough to send the game over the total.
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