Friday’s Big Ten Tournament Picks
The 2018 Big Ten Tournament moves on to the quarterfinals today with four games. Here’s our picks for Friday, March 2, 2018.
847 Wisconsin vs. 848 Michigan State, Noon (Big Ten Network)
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, top-seeded Michigan State is the clear favorite in this game, as the Spartans are getting odds of -10 points against the No. 9 Badgers. Michigan State won both meetings with Wisconsin this season, but the Badgers covered the spread in the two games. Wisconsin does a nice job of slowing Michigan State down. MSU relies on its athleticism to get out in transition on offense. When forced into the half court, the Spartans struggle to get to the rim and turn the ball over too much. The games at MSG have been pretty competitive and I expect this one to be no different. Give me the points here. BIG TEN PREDICTIONS: 847 WISCONSIN +10
Bet on the Big Ten Tournament for Friday, March 2, 2018
849 Michigan vs. 850 Nebraska, 2:25PM ET (Big Ten Network)
Oddsmakers have fifth-seeded Michigan as a 4.5-point favorited against fourth-seeded Nebraska in this one. Nebraska dominated the first meeting this season, 72-52 at home. The Cornhuskers have been overlooked most of the season, as they aren’t considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament yet managed to finish fourth in a top-heavy conference. Michigan had to go to overtime to get past Iowa just 24 hours ago, so legs could be tired. Nebraska has covered in nine of its last 10 and I think the fresh legs and chip on its shoulder will lead it to a cover, if not an outright win. BIG TEN PREDICTIONS: 850 NEBRASKA +4.5
851 Penn State vs. 852 Ohio State, 6:30PM ET (Big Ten Network)
Second-seeded Ohio State is a 2.5-point favorite against No. 7 Penn State despite the Buckeyes getting handled in this series, this season. The Nittany Lions won 82-79 at Ohio State on Jan. 25 and then beat the Buckeyes 79-56 at home on Feb. 15. There is something about this Penn State team where it steps up against the big boys in the Big Ten. They have covered in all four meetings with the top three seeds in this tournament. Their coach has turned the culture around at Penn State and I think the Nittany Lions will cause the same problems for Ohio State that it has all season. The Buckeyes aren’t playing tremendous right now, going 1-3 ATS in their last four. BIG TEN PREDICTIONS: 851 PENN STATE +2.5
853 Rutgers vs. 854 Purdue, 8:55PM ET (Big Ten Network)
Rutgers, the 14th seed in the tournament, had a nice upset win on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals. Oddsmakers see them as a 14.5-point underdog against third-seeded Purdue tonight. Purdue has won all six Big Ten meetings with Rutgers over these last three years, including two meetings this season. Rutgers lost 82-51 at Purdue, but only lost 78-76 at home on Feb. 3. Despite the impressive record, Purdue has struggled for a while in terms of covers. They are 1-8-1 against the spread in their last 10 games. I don’t like this spread for a team that is struggling to cover, especially against a team that has more of a home-court edge, being 30 miles from MSG. BIG TEN PREDICTIONS: 853 RUTGERS +14.5