CBB betting: How to bet the Big Ten Tournament

Minutes before the familiar CBS theme song hits different with the NCAA Tournament bracket selection show on deck, the champion of the Big Ten Tournament will be crowned in Chicago on Sunday afternoon. This season, no lead has been safe in the conference, with seemingly nightly comebacks that have had basketball fans on the edge of their seats. Be ready for anything in the Windy City this week.

Tournament odds

Early-round bets to make

(13) Ohio State vs. (12) Wisconsin
1st round, March 8, 6:30 p.m. ET

Ohio State's search for rock bottom took a while during its 1-15 stretch in Big Ten play, but just as the market gave up on the Buckeyes, they beat Illinois and Maryland in back-to-back home games. Now they're projected to be short favorites against Wisconsin in the opening round.

The Badgers boast better adjusted defensive ShotQuality, so expect them to force the Buckeyes into tougher shots than usual. The big statistical red flag for Ohio State is its low 65% rate of shots taken from either beyond the arc or at the rim. Contested mid-range shots aren't a winning strategy.

Pick: Wisconsin (+1.5 or better)

(14) Minnesota vs. (11) Nebraska
1st round, March 8, 9:00 p.m. ET

I had to do a double take, but Nebraska quietly finished the season on a 6-2 run. In one of those losses, the Cornhuskers led Michigan State by 12 at halftime, only for the Spartans to play a virtually perfect second half. Meanwhile, Minnesota pulled off a 10-point comeback in the last 75 seconds to beat Rutgers for the Golden Gophers' second conference win all season. Although a 6-point spread might seem like a scenario where you should take the points between two bad teams, Nebraska might not actually qualify as bad.

Pick: Nebraska (-6 or better)

Late-round matchup to target

(8) Michigan vs. (1) Purdue
Quarterfinal, March 10, 12:00 p.m. ET

I'm looking to fade Purdue as a general rule in this tournament, but we need a team that can provide two things:

• An interior presence to bother presumptive national player of the year Zach Edey
• Enough athleticism to press the Boilermakers, who struggle under full-court pressure

Michigan might not survive Rutgers in its already set second-round game, but with Hunter Dickinson and a pair of big bodies off the bench, Juwan Howard has the first requirement covered. The Wolverines also have the athleticism to give Purdue's freshman guards fits if they need to deploy a press.

Pick: Michigan (+2.5 or better)

Best bet to win the tournament

The top half of the bracket hinges on whether it's Purdue or someone else, but the bottom half is wide-open in a different way. Indiana's price is too short, and I would prefer Maryland in that potential matchup, but the Terrapins have to play four games. Either Penn State or Illinois could go out before it's even checked into the hotel. That leaves Northwestern at 10-1, which is priced that way because, frankly, it's Northwestern.

The Wildcats have strong adjusted defensive ShotQuality - ranking 12th nationally - and their offense is good enough, especially with late-game options in Boo Buie and Chase Audige. They need just two wins to get to the final, at which point we can make some moves on a short-spread matchup since we'll be holding a 10-1 ticket.

Pick: Northwestern (+1000)

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.