Big Ten basketball is some of the most exciting in the country, and the current betting favorite to win this year’s NCAA Basketball National Championship plays in this league. Let’s break down the Big Ten with our college hoops preview of the conference, full of picks and predictions for the entire season.
Big Ten Basketball History
Matt Painter is ready to get Purdue back into the National Championship
Past 10 Big Ten Regular Season Champions
- 2025: Michigan State Spartans
- 2024: Purdue Boilermakers
- 2023: Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten Tournament Champs)
- 2022: Illinois Fighting Illini & Wisconsin Badgers
- 2021: Michigan Wolverines
- 2020: Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State Spartans & Wisconsin Badgers
- 2019: Michigan State Spartans & Purdue Boilermakers (Michigan State: Big Ten Tournament Champs)
- 2018: Michigan State Spartans
- 2017: Purdue Boilermakers
- 2016: Indiana Hoosiers
We’ve seen plenty of different teams on top of the Big Ten, and this season a new representative is one of the top betting favorites to take the title. Can Mick Cronin’s team do it?
Big Ten Basketball Betting Odds
Dusty May has tons of transfers on this year’s Wolverines team
Odds to Win the NCAA Basketball National Championship (Big Ten Schools)
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of October 30, 2025 at 7:22 p.m. eastern. Use Promo Code BNBOL55 for an instant 55% deposit bonus in your account.
- Purdue Boilermakers +800
- Michigan Wolverines +1600
- Illinois Fighting Illini +2200
- UCLA Bruins +2800
- Michigan State Spartans +5500
- Wisconsin Badgers +6000
- Iowa Hawkeyes +6600
- Indiana Hoosiers +8000
- Ohio State Buckeyes +8000
- USC Trojans +8000
The Oregon Ducks and Maryland Terps are both priced at 100-1, with Washington at 150-1 and the rest of the conference even further down. The Terps are the most recent Big Ten team with a National Championship, but they did so back in 2002 as a member of the ACC. Michigan State was the last title winner from the Big Ten, doing so in 2000, but this year, Purdue is the current betting favorite to cut down the nets.
Donovan Dent is ready to revamp the UCLA Bruins’ offense
Odds to Win the Big Ten Regular Season
- Purdue Boilermakers +200
- Michigan Wolverines +350
- UCLA Bruins +550
- Illinois Fighting Illini +700
- Ohio State Buckeyes +950
- Michigan State Spartans +1800
- Oregon Ducks +2000
- Wisconsin Badgers +2200
- USC Trojans +2500
- Iowa Hawkeyes +2800
- Indiana Hoosiers +3300
- Washington Huskies +4000
- Maryland Terrapins +5000
- Nebraska Cornhuskers +6600
The last few teams are Northwestern at 150-1, and Rutgers, Minnesota and Penn State all at 200-1. Like most conferences, there is a significant drop off after the top six, and the top two look to be much better than anyone else.
Big Ten Team Previews and Predictions
Fletcher Loyer shot over 44% from deep last season
This is Purdue’s conference to lose, plain and simple. But some teams could be surprising.
No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue returns tons of talent with Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith and Flecther Loyer all fourth year seniors. They were all there for the National Championship loss to UConn, and are now hungry to prove the doubters wrong. Those three combined for 49.7 points per game, 13.1 boards and 12.7 assists. Each shot at least 38% from beyond the arc, and Smith and Loyer were better than 83% from the stripe.
Add in transfer forwards Oscar Cluff from South Dakota State and Liam Murphy from North Florida, alongside 7’4″ center Daniel Jacobsen, and the Boilermakers are easily the team to beat in the Big Ten.
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines landed Yaxel Lendeborg, the top talent in the transfer portal from UAB. Dusty May will rely on plenty of new guys, as Morez Johnson, Elliot Cadaeu and Aday Mara will all play major roles.
Cadaeu was the floor general for North Carolina, averaging 6.3 assists per game last year. Johnson added 7.0 points and 6.7 boards in just 17 minutes off the Illini bench as a true freshman, and Mara is a 7’3″ center who came off UCLA’s bench the past two seasons. Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett will see increased roles this season as both put up over 9.4 points per game and 3.4 boards for the Wolverines.
Tomislav Ivisic teams up with his brother to lead the Illini front court
No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini
Brad Underwood has a European All Star team. Twin seven footers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic control the front court, Andrej Stojakovic scored over 19 per game for the California Golden Bears last year, and Mihailo Petrovic is set to be the floor general. Add in senior Kylan Boswell, and the Illini have tons of talent on their team.
Ben Humrichous and David Mirkovic should get plenty of tick off the bench as well. I see them as a National Title Dark Horse team.
No. 4 Oregon Ducks
The Ducks retain their two leading scorers, as center Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad lead this offense. They combined for nearly 28 points and over 10 boards per game last year, and could be even better this season. Kwame Evans Jr. should have a breakout season in Year 3 for the Ducks as one of their best rim protectors, and Texas transfer Devon Pryor adds some depth at the wing position.
No. 5 UCLA Bruins
The hype surrounding the Bruins is Donovan Dent. He put up 20.4 points per game and 6.4 assists for New Mexico last year, shooting over 40% from deep. This guy will immediately boost a UCLA offense that was outside the top 100 in points per game last season. Sure, the Bruins were sound defensively, but Dent adds flair to the other side of the court.
UCLA returns upperclassmen Skyy Clark, Eric Dailey Kr. and Tyler Bilodeau who were three of the four leading scorers for the Bruins, making them a sneaky team in the conference.
Bennett Stirtz continues to follow his Head Coach, Ben McCollum. Next stop: Iowa City!
No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes
I like Head Coach Ben McCollum and guard Bennett Stirtz. The pair have traveled from Division II Northwest Missouri State, to mid-major Drake, and now are still together in the Big Ten. Look for them to stick to what they know, play their style of basketball, and slow down this Hawkeyes’ offense.
Brendan Hausen has shot over 38% from deep in each of his last three seasons, and totaled 10.9 points as a starter for Kansas State last year, adding some perimeter shooting to this team. Forward Alvaro Folgueiras averaged nearly a double double for Robert Morris (Bobby Mo!) last season, giving the Hawkeyes much needed depth in the front court.
No. 7 Michigan State Spartans
You can never count out a Tom Izzo led squad. Returning point guard Jeremey Fears could compete for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore season, but the Spartans are very thin in the back court. Jaden Atkins, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson, their three leading scorers all departed, leaving Coen Carr and Jaxon Kohler to take over the offensive production.
Center Carson Cooper will see a lot more minutes, and freshman Cam Ward should be asked to contribute immediately. Trey Fort was a 14.6 point scorer for the Samford Bulldogs last year, and will be a senior leader on this squad.
The Boilermaker’s likely run the Big Ten this season, but there is plenty to love about this Illini team as well.
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