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Big Ten Tournament Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (3/13)

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The first round of the Big Ten Tournament is over. Second-round action is set to start today at noon ET. The first game of the day features a matchup between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Oregon Ducks.

Will the Ducks complete the season sweep? The other three games pit the Northwestern Wildcats against the Wisconsin Badgers, the Iowa Hawkeyes against the Illinois Fighting Illini and the USC Trojans against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Here are the best Big 10 Tournament picks for Thursday, March 13th.

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    Thursday's Best Big Tem Tournament College Basketball Bets

    (Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

    Indiana vs. Oregon

    The Hoosiers and the Ducks will each be playing in their first Big Ten Tournament games tonight after both earned byes through the first round. The Ducks are slight favorites, as they are the higher seed. They defeated the Hoosiers 73-64 less than 10 days ago.

    Both teams are hot entering this game. The Ducks have won seven consecutive games while the Hoosiers have won four out of five. With this game being played in Indianapolis, this will likely feel like a home contest for the Hoosiers. That said, this is a game that could go either way.

    Rather than make a play on the spread, I'm backing the over. Both teams average over 75 points per game and both defenses allow over 71 points per contest. They may have only combined for 137 in their first meeting, but five of the other six games during the Ducks' win streak have exceeded this number. The Hoosiers have scored at least 73 in three of their last five.

    Pick: Over 142.5 Points (-110)

    Northwestern vs. Wisconsin

    Yesterday, the Wildcats picked up a relatively easy win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers to advance to today's matchup against the Badgers. These two teams played once this season with the Badgers escaping Northwestern with a 75-69 win. Will they replicate that performance?

    The Badgers are destined to cruise through this game, however, the 7.5-point spread isn't worth taking. The Wildcats could keep this close after playing a game yesterday. As a desperate team, they're sure to give the Badgers everything they can handle.

    Therefore, my best play for this game is the Badgers over 74.5 points. As a team, the Badgers are averaging 80.8 points per game this season. While they've scored fewer than 74.5 points in three of their last five, they've scored 88+ in three of their last seven.

    The Wildcats only allow 69.1 points per contest, and they've held seven consecutive opponents to 74 or fewer points. But the Badgers are the better team. They should inflict their will in this game.

    Pick: Wisconsin Team Total Over 74.5 Points (-110)

    Iowa vs. Illinois

    Yesterday, the Hawkeyes defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70, likely ending the Buckeyes' season and keeping the Hawkeyes' faint tournament hopes alive. They likely need to win the Big Ten Tournament to make it to the Big Dance, which means they'll need to take care of business against a team that beat them by 20 earlier this season.

    The Fighting Illini enter this tournament as winners of three consecutive games. Two of those victories were over ranked opponents, while the third win during that stretch was an 81-61 win over the Hawkeyes. They've scored at least 80 points in five of their last eight contests.

    Though these two teams only combined for 142 points in their first meeting, I'm backing the incredibly high over in this game. Both of these teams rank in the top 15 in the nation in scoring, as they're both averaging over 82 points per game. With the Hawkeyes allowing an average of 78.9 per contest, I think there is a very good chance Illinois will score more than 90 points tonight.

    Pick: Over 166.5 Points (-110)

    USC vs. Purdue

    Maybe I'm underestimating the resilience of college athletes, but after a double-overtime thriller last night, I don't see how the Trojans bounce back and compete with the Boilermakers just 24 hours later. It's looking especially dreary for the Trojans when you consider they lost to Purdue by 18 points earlier this season when they were fresh.

    All that said, I'm not going to back the Boilermakers to cover the large spread of 9.5 points. They struggled down the stretch, losing five of their last seven games. Instead, I'm taking the Trojans to score well below their season average of 77.1 points. The Boilermakers' defense hasn't been great, but the unit has held most opponents in check throughout the season.

    Though the Trojans have a high-powered offense, they have scored 63 or fewer points in two of their last four. With tired legs, I expect a similarly low number posted tonight.

    Pick: USC Team Total Under 70.5 Points (-110)

    Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:

    Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.

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