Win Or Go Home Type Games 🏀

With the Big Ten Tournament finally here, a number of teams are playing to stay alive for a March Madness bid. From reeling Michigan to sweet-shooting Penn State, let's check in on some squads on the bubble entering their second round matchups. Day time basketball? Why not us 💥 (3 min read)

Author

Nate Hartnick
March 09, 2023

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Win or Go Home

This year's Big Ten tournament holds tremendous implications for a number of squads on the Tournament Bubble. Today's key matchups include Michigan vs. Rutgers and Penn State vs. Illinois — all of these teams outside of Illinois need a win to keep their March Madness hopes alive. Let's take a look at where things stand right now 👇

  • As the 8 and 9 seeds, Michigan and Rutgers are battling for the right to take on 1 seed Purdue in the next round, a tall task for either team. The Scarlet Knights will be hungry for revenge after falling to Michigan by a score of 58-45 on February 23rd, and neither can afford another loss

  • Fortunately for Rutgers, the Wolverines have found a way to squander an unbelievable amount of winnable games this season 👀

Rutgers looked like a sure-fire tournament team just a few weeks ago, but have lost three of their last four and six of their last eight, officially putting them on the bubble. Meanwhile, Illinois has the upper hand vs. Penn State record wise, but the Nittany Lions actually won both of this season's matchups against the Illini by double digits, with no answer for star guard Jalen Pickett. Take a look at the Big Ten tournament odds 🤑

Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Games To Watch

Michigan enters the tournament with a lot to prove...the Wolverines could have finished the season as the 2 seed, but lost in overtime to Indiana, following a similarly disheartening double-OT loss to Illinois, all in the past week. Sitting at the 8 seed, Michigan will have to stir up a dramatic turnaround in order to keep their season alive, and need to avoid the inconsistency that has plagued them all season 😬

  • Michigan started the season disastrously, but found a way to climb out of that hole, largely behind the stellar efforts of Hunter Dickinson and Kobe Bufkin

  • Head coach Juwan Howard may be coaching for his job after a rough past couple of years 👀

  • Spread: Michigan -3.5

  • Moneyline: Michigan -154, Rutgers +128

  • O/U: 132.5

  • When: 12PM EST on BTN

Illinois is playing for seeding, but have basically been alternating wins and losses over the past few weeks. The Nittany Lions can shoot the rock, but their success really boils down to one star player: Jalen Pickett. The electric guard was recently named as the First Penn State All-American since 1955 🔥

  • Last time out, Pickett lit up Illinois to the tune of 41 points, including 5 threes. The Nittany Lions sank a remarkable 24 threes total in that game — the Illini will obviously need to cut this number dramatically in order to secure a different result

  • Some high-flying dunks by highlight reel forward Coleman Hawkins also wouldn't hurt on the other end 🔨

  • Spread: Illinois -2.5

  • Moneyline: Illinois -140, PSU +116

  • O/U: 141.5

  • When: 6:30PM on BTN

Trivia Question: When did the Wolverines last win the NCAA Tournament?

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

I like Michigan to turn their season around and score this sorely needed win vs. Rutgers. They've looked good over the last few weeks, but just need to finish in crunch time. In the other matchup, look for this season's trend to continue, with Pickett leading the Nittany Lions to yet another W vs. the Illini 👇

  • Michigan -3.5 vs. Rutgers: -110

  • Penn State +2.5 vs. Illinois: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $264 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: Michigan's last and only NCAA Championship came in 1989 🏆

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