3 Best Bets and Player Props for the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday 3/12/25

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and select some of the best bets for the first round of the SEC Tournament.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best Big Ten Tournament Betting Picks

Northwestern vs. Minnesota

Northwestern -2.5 (-106)

Despite the Wildcats being the lower-seeded team, Northwestern is a 2.5-point favorite in their first-round matchup with Minnesota. That's more than warranted, however, and it may be selling the 'Cats short. Considering Northwestern blasted the Gophers by 12 on the road in late February and that they sit 42 spots higher on KenPom, I see value in taking Northwestern to cover the spread.

Simply put, Northwestern isn't getting enough respect at this line. Even with the Wildcats down two of their top three scorers, Northwestern has continued to play like an above-average team. Yes, they're just 3-5 straight up since Jalen Leach joined Brooks Barnhizer on the sideline, but the underlying metrics are still there. Northwestern is 40th on Bart Torvik since Leach went down, ranking 26th nationally in adjusted defense.

That's been their calling card all season as Northwestern remains a strong 44th nationally in adjusted defense for the season. They gave Minnesota fits the first time they faced off. The Gophers managed just 63 points in that first matchup -- par for the course given how Minnesota has played against good defenses. Minnesota finished the regular season 4-8 with a -7.6 average point differential against top-50 defenses. Seven of those eight losses came by at least three points, and four came by double-digits.

It doesn't hurt to have some trends on our side, too. Though Minnesota consistently faced large spreads as underdogs, they finished the regular season a brutal 11-20 ATS.

Based on the Gophers' previous matchup with the 'Cats, I like Minnesota to fail to cover yet again, making Northwestern -2.5 the angle here.

Iowa vs. Ohio State

Micah Parrish (OSU) 3+ Made Threes (+120)

Ohio State takes on Iowa in the evening game, making the Buckeyes an ideal target for player props. The Hawkeyes are an ugly 163rd nationally in adjusted defense, but they're 58th in adjusted tempo and their Big Ten games averaged a league-high 159.9 total points. They also let up the second-most made threes per game (9.2) in the Big Ten, so getting sharpshooter Micah Parrish to make 3+ threes at 120 odds is more than enticing.

Parrish averaged 2.3 made threes during the conference season, but he nailed at least 3 triples in 9 of 20 Big Ten contests. He really took off down the stretch, however, making 3 threes in six of his final eight games. For the season, the senior wing is shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc.

Now, Parrish only made 2 threes in OSU's first matchup with Iowa, but he jacked up 7 shots from beyond the arc. That's volume we can continue to count on given Iowa's lackluster defense. They gave up the fifth-highest three-point attempt rate in the Big Ten, and much of that production came from opposing wings. In conference play, Iowa surrendered the conference's third-most three-point attempts (per 40 minutes) to wings.

Micah Parrish has been letting it rip from deep over the final stretch, and I don't see that changing in the Big Ten's juiciest matchup for scoring. Given how suspect Iowa's been at defending the arc, there's value in Micah Parrish 3+ made threes at +120 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

USC vs. Rutgers

Over 153.5 (-115)

USC will take on Rutgers in the Big Ten nightcap in a rematch of their February 23rd shootout. Rutgers pulled out a 95-85 home win in that one, with the two sides combining for a staggering 180 points. I'm not sure we get quite that many this time around, but this game profiles as another high-scoring affair. Both sides play at above-average tempos and are much better on offense than defense, so we can certainly look for them to go over 153.5 total points.

Despite the final tally in that first meeting and their conference seeding, USC actually grades out as the better team. The Trojans are 63rd overall on KenPom, led by a No. 40 standing in adjusted offense. Coupled with USC's 115th-ranked adjusted tempo, it's easy to see why the Trojans finished seventh in the Big Ten in scoring (76.1 PPG).

But their defense has left a lot to be desired. The Trojans enter the conference tournament ranked 109th in adjusted defense and let up the fifth-most points per game in Big Ten play (78.3). Their conference games averaged a cool 154.4 total points, third-most in the Big Ten.

Rutgers fits a similar mold. They're slightly below USC on KenPom (75th), and like the Trojans, Rutgers grades out better offensively (54th) than defensively (121st). They're 97th nationally in adjusted tempo and finished fourth in the Big Ten in average pace. That was a good profile for scoring, as their conference games averaged 153.7 total points, fourth-most in the league.

The Scarlett Knights' brisk pace helped push that first matchup to a high total -- something's that's become commonplace for USC games. The Trojans have faced eight teams in the top 100 for adjusted tempo; those averaged 164.3 total points.

A similar trend has followed both sides against lesser defenses. Rutgers' four power conference games against teams outside the top 100 in adjusted defense averaged 170 total points. USC's five games in that split averaged 160.8 points.

With that, the over is the side I want to be on for this 153.5-point total. KenPom, Bart Torvik, and Haslametrics all project this game for at least 159 total points, giving us some leeway even if this total inches up ahead of tip-off.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.