Betting Odds for Big Ten Tournament: What are the chances the Hawkeyes run the table?

The Hawkeyes face an uphill battle, but are they a strong underdog to bet on in the Big Ten Tournament?
Iowa v Illinois
Iowa v Illinois / Michael Hickey/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

The Iowa Hawkeyes aren't necessarily limping into the Big Ten Tournament, but spirits sure were a lot higher before the season finale loss to Illinois. The Hawkeyes will be the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament, not an ideal place to do much damage.

While winning the Big Ten Tournament would be an automatic qualifier for Iowa to the NCAA Tournament, it is not necessary to earn a seed. Winning at least two games is likely the bare minimum to give a convincing argument to the selection committee.

But to land on the moon, you have to shoot for stars. Selling yourself short on what's possible is a surefire way to miss out on the opportunity to achieve greatness. So why not ask the question: What are the odds the Iowa Hawkeyes win the 2024 Big Ten Tournament?

FanDuel's odds are ready and, naturally, the betting favorite is the No. 1 seed, Purdue, at +110. Comparatively, the Hawkeyes are serious underdogs.

Iowa will start the tournament at +4000 to win the conference tournament, the eighth-best odds. Considering just two teams have ever won the Big Ten Tournament from outside of the top five seeds, it's understandable that Iowa would be such a longshot.

Iowa will open the tournament against a sugring Ohio State Buckeyes team at the 10th seed. The Buckeyes actually have better odds than the Hawkeyes at +2000, the seventh-best odds. For what it's worth, Ohio State is a -1.5 favorite over Iowa in the second round matchup.

Those lines may be frustrating for Iowa fans, but they aren't unwarrented. Since losing to the Hawkeyes in mid-February, Ohio State is 6-3 including a win over Purdue and a 4-game winning streak to close the season. The Buckeyes beat Michigan by 23 points and Rutgers by 22 in their last two outings, so they are coming to Minneapolis with serious momentum.

Should Iowa make it past Ohio State, the Hawkeyes would once again square up with Illinois. The Illini beat Iowa by double digits in both regular season matchups. Illinois has the second-best odds of winning the tournament at +300.

Up Next:

Next. Big Ten Tournament bracket 2024: How to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes. Big Ten Tournament bracket 2024: How to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes. dark