It’s been an up and down season so far for the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball squad. With the 82nd Annual NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament just two weeks away, the young Hoosier team is looking to snap a two-game losing streak and get back on the winning track to ensure an opportunity to participate in March Madness.
Big 10 Conference Longshots
The Hoosiers, who currently sit in the bottom half of the Big 10 Conference with a 18-11 record, are not yet a lock for the NCAA tournament. However, many think the team could be named as a participant when the seeds are announced on Selection Sunday, despite having missed the tournament in the past three seasons.
Even though coach Archie Miller’s squad has yet to secure its place in the tournament, the newly legalized sports betting market in Indiana is offering up odds on the Hoosiers and their fate in both the NCAA tournament and Big 10 Conference Championship.
Those bullish on the Hoosiers to make miracles happen are going to receive some pretty long odds from the major online sportsbooks including FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetRivers.
It’s an understatement to say that BetRivers and DraftKings don’t exactly have high hopes for the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Conference Championship, which kicks off on March 11. With a conference record of 8-10, the Hoosiers are being offered at +4000 on BetRivers (+3500 on DraftKings) to usurp teams like Maryland and Michigan State, both of which are currently getting +350 odds on BetRivers to take the Big 10 title. Michigan State is third on the board at +550 (and just +400 on DraftKings).
There may be some value to be found in the +1500 odds being offered on BetRivers for Illinois, a team that currently sits fourth in the Big 10 with a record of 20-9 and a conference record equal to that of Michigan State at 12-6.
A Shot From Downtown
Kansas, Gonzaga, Baylor — these are the teams that are slotted as the favorites to win the 2020 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Indiana, on the other hand, is a considerable underdog to make the Final Four (should it make the tournament) and even longer shot to close it out.
FanDuel is offering the Hoosiers at +1800 to just make the Final Four. For comparison, Kansas is the favorite to make the Final Four at -140 (-134 on both DraftKings and BetRivers), followed closely by Baylor and Gonzaga, both receiving -110 odds. For Indiana odds shoppers, the best bet for Indiana to make the Final Four comes on DraftKings and BetRivers at +2000.
When it comes to placing a flier on Indiana to win it all, it’s important to get the right price. The sportsbooks really don’t see a scenario where the Hoosiers take the tournament down, so bettors are being offered some astronomical odds. DraftKings is giving bettors +8000, FanDuel will do one better at +9000. Both of those sportsbooks seem to believe that, however improbably, there’s some extremely remote chance. BetRivers, on the other hand, has slapped the Hoosiers with +10000 odds to win, the number that essentially means the sportsbook really believes there’s no chance.
The Here And Now
While Indiana is deemed a long shot to make major moves in the tournament, it’s favored in taking on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on March 3.
Looking to put that two-game skid in the rear-view mirror, the Hoosiers are a 3.5 favorite over Minnesota. FanDuel is offering both sides of this contest at -110 with an over/under of 135.
Fans of the Hoosiers who want to bet on a win may want to take that proposition, as the game after that pits them against current No. 24-ranked Wisconsin, with odds to be released later in the week.
