Maryland narrowly favored to win Big Ten Tournament

With the Big Ten tournament less than a month away, it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top in one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

The No. 7 Maryland Terrapins are a +350 favorite to hoist the Big Ten trophy on March 15, with No. 9 Penn State (+400) inching close behind in the odds. The Terrapins and Nittany Lions rank first and second in the conference standings, while No. 20 Iowa and Michigan State fall next in line.

Maryland is mortal

The Terps own an 11-3 conference record, but succumbed to both Penn State and Iowa in the regular season. In December, the Nittany Lions pulled off a seven-point win at home, and Iowa demolished Maryland 67-49 on Jan. 10.

The Terrapins fell at Wisconsin by two the following game but have since reeled off eight straight victories. Meanwhile, Penn State is on a similar roll since dropping three consecutive games to Rutgers, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Big parity in the Big Ten

The Hawkeyes (+500) also suffered an 89-86 setback against Penn State in early January and lost a rematch to Maryland on the road on Jan. 30. Since then, Purdue crushed Iowa 104-68 and Indiana handed the Hawkeyes a loss on Feb. 16.

The conference has proven so far that any team in the Big Ten can win on any given day. That fact should encourage the 17-9 Michigan State Spartans, who began the season No. 1 in the AP poll but have since slipped from the rankings.

The Spartans are 9-6 in the Big Ten, with losses to Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, and Maryland. Still, head coach Tom Izzo (aka Mr. March) and his club boast +425 odds of winning the conference crown.

Since 2010, Sparty has earned four Big Ten tournament titles, while Ohio State (once ranked as high as second in the AP poll this season) has collected three in the past decade.

The only other schools to win a conference championship in that span are Michigan (twice) and Wisconsin (once).

Neither Maryland nor Penn State has won a Big Ten tournament, and between those two, only Penn State has reached the finals, in 2011.

One potential positive for both teams is that a No. 1 or No. 2 seed has won 16 of 22 Big Ten championships. However, in the past five years, a No. 8 and No. 5 seed have each topped the field.

Considering nine out of the 14 schools in the Big Ten were ranked somewhere in the AP Top 25 either in the preseason or regular season, this year’s conference tourney may turn into an all-out slugfest. Wooden Award contender Luka Garza could carry Iowa to the top, or Cassius Winston’s senior leadership might make the difference for Michigan State.

The Nittany Lions are ready to pounce

Nonetheless, if you’re searching for a well-rounded team to rise to the occasion in the conference, Penn State could be your best bet. The Nittany Lions rank 35th in points per game (77.5), 37th in rebounds (39.0), 16th in blocks (5.16) and 38th in steals (8) per contest. They’ve already shown they can beat the best in the conference, and they don’t rely on just one or two men to do all the scoring.

Penn State is as hot as Maryland right now, but come tournament time, they may catch fire. Be on the lookout for the Nittany Lions to make a statement in the Big Ten and carry their momentum to a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Bet NCAAB conference tournament futures at BetAmerica!