2026 NCAA tournament odds: Picking every Sweet 16 game including all 6 Big Ten teams

The Big Ten hasn’t won an NCAA men’s basketball championship since 2000. But they have a more teams alive than anyone else going into the Sweet 16.

The Big Ten had a great opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. Six teams advanced to the Sweet 16, which is a record for the conference. That included Iowa after its massive upset of No. 1 seed Florida on Sunday. Michigan, Illinois and Purdue are all among the top six teams in the odds to win the NCAA tournament, with Michigan as the favorite to win it all. The Big Ten as a whole is still in great shape heading into the second weekend.

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Here are the picks for the Sweet 16, with all odds from BetMGM:

Purdue (-7.5) over Texas

The Texas Longhorns, with an athletic department that makes more than $330 million in revenue, are the Cinderellas of the 2026 NCAA tournament. And people have the audacity to complain that the tournament has become too chalky.

Texas is the lowest-ranked team left in the tournament at KenPom.com, but it isn’t a normal No. 11 seed either. Texas has nine Quad 1 wins this season. The Longhorns struggled late in the regular season and had a bad loss to Ole Miss in its first SEC tournament game, but they have turned it on in the tournament starting with a First Four win. Still, the problem is their defense against Purdue’s No. 1 ranked offense at KenPom. Texas’s defense was outside of the top 80. It has been a nice run for Texas, but it’s probably coming to an end against a Boilermakers team that got hot at the right time.

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – MARCH 22: Jack Benter #14 and Braden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers react against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)

Iowa (+1.5) over Nebraska

This will feel more like a Big Ten tournament game when it tips off, not a Sweet 16 game. Nebraska, as…

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Author : Frank Schwab

Publish date : 2026-03-23 19:39:00

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