November 2 is right around the corner, folks!
With all 18 Big Ten programs ramping up their scrimmages and preseason exhibition matchups, it's a great time for us to ramp up our research, too, and find some teams, players, and spots to back this season.
So, dive in below for my Big Ten college basketball betting preview for the 2026-27 season, including odds, picks and predictions.
2026-27 Big Ten Regular Season Title Odds
| Team | Odds (bet365) |
|---|---|
| Illinois | +150 |
| Michigan State | +375 |
| Michigan | +850 |
| Nebraska | +900 |
| UCLA | +1200 |
| Ohio State | +1600 |
| Purdue | +1600 |
| USC | +2500 |
| Indiana | +2800 |
| Maryland | +3500 |
| Wisconsin | +4500 |
| Iowa | +5000 |
| Minnesota | +10000 |
| Oregon | +10000 |
| Washington | +30000 |
| Northwestern | +40000 |
| Penn State | +50000 |
| Rutgers | +50000 |
Big Ten Favorite
Michigan State Spartans (+375)
Illinois may be the sexy look, but a price below 2-to-1 to win the Big Ten? Not my type. Sorry, not sorry.
I typically hate backing favorites in futures markets because of the price tag, but as of writing, the Big Ten may be in for a down year.
Enter the Michigan State Spartans, led by the odds-on favorite to take home the Wooden Award, junior guard and king of this writer’s hometown, Jeremy Fears Jr.
Legendary head coach Tom Izzo expects this team to be a notch or two, maybe even three, better defensively than it was a year ago. Last season, the Spartans ranked 13th nationally in defensive efficiency, allowing 94.4 points per 100 possessions.
Izzo has also emphasized throughout the preseason how much he loves this team’s chemistry and camaraderie.
Michigan State’s most notable offseason addition is 7-foot-2 Vanuatu native Anton Bonke (1,100 miles from Australia. I had to look it up, too), who's coming off a productive season at Charlotte.
The Spartan giant averaged 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds while blocking 1.5 shots per game.
On top of that, the big fella is wet from deep, shooting 34.2% from 3-point range last season (13-of-38 overall).
Even with Izzo in his 70s, his teams still bring the same intensity every single game. With their size, depth and familiarity, the Spartans should be firmly in the hunt for the Big Ten crown once again.
Big Ten Best Futures Bet
Illinois Fighting Illini to Win National Championship (+1500)
The Fighting Illini are a very tough team to dislike heading into the 2026-27 season, as they bring back plenty of familiarity with five key players from their Final Four team returning, all while adding new guards Stefan Vaaks and Quentin Coleman.
Experience, familiarity and belief in your system are huge across college sports these days. When you have a talented group of guys who want to stay (for the right price), it speaks volumes about how well head coach Brad Underwood is handling things down in Champaign.
Underwood’s No. 1 goal this season is to improve defensively, stating, “We have to get better.” He believes this team can become an elite shot-blocking unit.
Last season, Illinois finished second to Purdue in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. If this team can take a step forward defensively, it'll be much more than just a great Final Four pick. The Illini have the pieces to make a legitimate run at a National Championship.
Taking the Fighting Illini at roughly 14-to-1 to win it all rather than backing them to make the Final Four at 3-to-1 is the far better preseason bet.
Big Ten Best Value Bet
Nebraska Cornhuskers to Make Final Four (+2800)
Could I have just drank too much Cornhusker Koolaid this offseason? Maybe, but I was also someone that kept saying they were overrated a year ago, then they proceeded to start their season 20-1 and finished with a program-record 28 wins.
The Cornhuskers, as of writing, are +730 to be the Big Ten’s regular season champions on DraftKings and +1400 on bet365 (so you need to line shop as usual with futures).
But I think they can obtain that lighting-in-a-bottle-type season beyond the conference slate.
This team has the talent to do damage in March.
They retain sharp shooters Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager, both were among their top scorers a year ago.
On top of that, they're welcoming five other productive transfers to fill in the holes.
The most notable newcomer is Trevan Leonhardt, who's one of the most versatile players in the country. Last season at Utah Valley, the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, six assists and 2.1 steals per game, while shooting nearly 37% from deep.
Big Ten Player to Target for Props
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Nebraska senior and sharp-shooting forward Sandfort is a guy worth remembering when you're itching to back someone to go over his 3-point prop on a random Tuesday evening in January.
Sandfort averaged 18.1 points per game last season for the Cornhuskers, ranking 10th in the conference, while shooting 47.9% from the floor and 41.6% from deep, the second-best mark in the Big Ten.
The 6-foot-7 forward also led the conference in 3-pointers made per game in 2025-26.
Nebraska went from 182nd in 3-point attempts per game to 13th in the country last season.
If head coach Fred Hoiberg is going to let his boys chuck from deep again, Sandfort is going to be a strong look for both 3-point and points props.
