2008 Big Ten Basketball Predictions & Season Preview
Written October 14, 2008 by Jack Jones
It should be another exciting season for Big Ten basketball in 2008-09. There are four solid teams that shouldn’t have a problem making the NCAA tournament in Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Several more schools will have their name called for the NIT tournament as well. Let’s take a look at our predicted order of finish and the college basketball odds for each team to win the conference. All odds are taken from BetUS, where you can get up to 145% in signup bonuses! For more great reasons why we like this book check out our BetUS review.
1. Purdue (+200) – There are plenty of offensive weapons and players who buy in to head coach Matt Painter’s team philosophy. They will contend for their first league title since 1996. For more read our Purdue basketball predictions article.
2. Michigan State (+200) – This will be Izzo’s beat team in four years as they will have the ability to crash the boards and are deep enough to run the entire game. There are plenty of scoring options inside and out, so if they defend as well as they should a run in the tournament isn’t out of the question. For more read our Michigan State basketball predictions article.
3. Ohio State (+450) – Ohio State is young, but this team is not only deep but very athletic. There will be some growing pains early but Thad Matta has done a great job recruiting and then grooming his young players. For more read our Ohio State basketball predictions article.
4. Wisconsin (+500) – Bo Ryan has done a great job while with the Badgers. His teams hae yet to finished lower than fourth in the league, and he has three titles and two second place finishes in his seven years. For more read our Wisconsin basketball predictions article.
5. Illinois (+750) – Last year was horrible, but that was probably a one year glitch. This team will be competitive but will probably be on the outside looking in come Selection Sunday. For more read our Illinois basketball predictions article.
6. Minnesota (+1500) – Tubby Smith is still a year away from taking this team to the top of the Big Ten, but he did a great job in his first year of turning the program around. For more read our Minnesota basketball predictions article.
7. Michigan (+1400) – John Beilein will most likely get this team back to the .500 mark after a 10-22 season, but he still needs more of his recruits to come in before Michigan gets back to where they are accustomed to being. For more read our Michigan basketball predictions article.
8. Penn State (+2000) – It seems like the Nittany Lions have supposed to have been a sleep team the last couple of seasons and then failed to live up to the hype. This year will be no different. For more read our Penn State basketball predictions article.
9. Northwestern (+3000) – This team has some talented players this year, but depth is a concern. Kevin Coble has the skills to vie for All-Big Ten honors. For more read our Northwestern basketball predictions article.
10. Iowa (+3000) – Frank Lickliter enters his second year as coach of the Hawkeyes and while the cupboard was bare last season, it didn’t get stocked with much more talent for this year’s edition. For more read our Iowa basketball predictions article.
11. Indiana (+7000) – It’s tough to put into words just how far the Hoosiers have fallen. This team lost nearly everyone from a year ago, so don’t expect Tom Crean to have a successful first season barring some sort of miracle. For more read our Indiana basketball predictions article.
Remember to win at basketball betting each week you will be better off with a package of NCAA basketball picks from our handicappers.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Big Ten Men’s College Basketball Tournament Predictions
- NCAA Basketball Odds on Big Ten Teams To Win the Tournament
- 2009 Big Ten NCAA Tournament Predictions
- 2009 College Basketball Invitational Preview
- 2009-10 Big Ten College Basketball Predictions
No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!