Buckeyes hold Wafer-Thin Edge in Big Ten

Last year’s Big Ten tournament had no shortage of surprises and there’s no reason to suggest 2010 won’t see something similar.

The three opening round match-ups are between teams that can only make it to March Madness if they win the conference’s automatic bid. The pairings are different but the same six schools make up the also-rans part of the Big Ten bracket as last season. Like 2009 I don’t expect any of these schools to make it to the semi-finals.

Instead look for the first potential upset of note to occur when Illinois takes on Wisconsin in round two. The Badgers are already assured of a place in the NCAA tournament while the Illini are fighting for their post-season lives. A win here is essential to keep any hope of making the Big Dance alive and they’ll have enough in the tank to win as slight underdogs.

An Illinois win would likely set up a date with Ohio State in the conference semi-final. The Buckeyes pulled of a huge shock last year knocking off top seed Michigan State at this stage of the tournament. Going into the tournament with a share of the regular season championship, the Buckeyes haven’t a whole lot to play for but there should be just enough at stake for them to take this game seriously. With a #2 likely locked down, Ohio State still has a slim chance at taking the last #1 seed in the tournament should their be slip-ups by Duke and some Big East schools. It may be a long shot but it will be enough for the superior Buckeyes to put away Illinois and end the March Madness dreams in Champaign.

Purdue’s likely clash with Michigan State in the other semi-final would pair the two sides that shared the regular season title with the Buckeyes. This looked far more attractive before Robbie Hummel was ruled out for the rest of the season. The Boilermakers are still strong enough to make serious game of it so the Spartans will have to be at their best. State should do enough to overpower Purdue and progress to Sunday’s final.

A clash between the Buckeyes and the Spartans on a neutral court really is a toss-up and if it comes down to that anyone with a sports betting interest should keep an eye on how the two sides fare in their two games earlier in the week. Going into the tournament Ohio State will carry a slight favorites advantage but anything can happen in the days leading up to Sunday’s decider.

For the biggest in Big Ten betting and all the action as Selection Sunday approaches check out Sports Interaction’s sports book.