The Big Ten Tournament promises to be one of college basketball's most competitive conference championships, with up to nine teams potentially headed to March Madness. The tournament takes place in Indianapolis with Illinois entering as both defending champions and top overall seed.

Tournament favorites according to betting odds:

• Purdue (+175)
• Illinois (+275)
• Iowa (+400)
• Wisconsin (+800)
• Ohio State (+1200)

The tournament presents multiple storylines:

• Top teams like Purdue and Illinois look to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding
• Mid-tier teams aim to secure their March Madness spots
• Lower seeds hope to play spoiler and make surprise runs

Ohio State enters as the 6th seed despite earlier expectations of a top-4 finish. While their +1200 odds suggest an uphill battle, their proven ability to compete with conference leaders makes them an intriguing dark horse.

Most analysts project another Illinois-Purdue championship matchup, which would be their third meeting this season. Purdue has won both previous contests, though upsets are always possible in March.

Betting Odds for Remaining Teams:

• Michigan, Rutgers (+1400)
• Michigan State (+1600)
• Indiana (+2200)
• Northwestern, Penn State, Minnesota, Maryland (+6600-10000)
• Nebraska (+5000)

With the conference's depth and quality, expect competitive games and potential upsets throughout the tournament, though the top seeds remain favorites to advance to the later rounds.

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