Illinois hasn’t been this good in basketball since the days of Deron Williams and Dee Brown. The Fighting Illini are on track to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, probably no matter what happens at this week’s Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.

Illinois won 11 of its last 12 regular-season games, a run that included a 23-point romp at Michigan, another Big Ten team in line for a top seed in the Big Dance. Illinois won more games than anyone else in the nation’s best conference — but was relegated to the No. 2 tournament seed because the Wolverines, shut down for a month because of COVID-19 protocols, had a better winning percentage.

Don’t let that distinction fool you in March Madness betting. Behind a tremendous inside-outside game, the Illini are loaded, and more than capable of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis — not just once, but twice.

Will Illinois Win Big Ten Tournament?

The math here is pretty straightforward. Illinois won 16 times in Big Ten play, at least two more than anyone else. In the last meeting against Michigan, the Illini hammered them in Ann Arbor. And they present tournament championship college basketball betting odds of +375 that would command any bettor’s attention.

Compare that to top seed and college basketball odds favorite Michigan, at +175. The Wolverines got nearly a month of rest when Michigan shut down athletic activities in January, but Illinois is on the better side of the tournament bracket. Ohio State, the league’s third-best team for most of the season, is on Michigan’s side, as are rejuvenated Michigan State and capable Purdue.

Could Michigan win the thing? Certainly. But Illinois’ track record late this season, compared with their far more valuable odds and easier tournament road, makes Illinois the better bet.