Can Anyone Beat UCLA? 4 Big Ten Tournament Storylines for Minnesota

Gophers women's basketball has earned the four seed in this year's Big Ten tournament, which means they will have to wait until Friday's quarterfinals for their first game. Here are some key storylines to follow at this year's event at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Can anyone beat UCLA?

The Bruins have been the best team in the Big Ten all season, and it hasn't really been close. They've had two conference games decided by single digits: an eight-point win at Ohio State in December and a three-point win at Michigan on Feb. 8. Superstar center Lauren Betts is probably the best player in the field, averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game this season. She's a matchup nightmare for anyone she faces.

Betting odds

DraftKings Sportsbook has released betting odds for this year's Big Ten tournament, and Minnesota has the fourth-best odds at 14 to 1. UCLA is a heavy favorite at -295, which means you would have to bet $295 dollars to make $100 on a wager for the Bruins to win the tournament. That is an implied probability of 74.68%.

UCLA: -295
Michigan: +400
Iowa: +1100
Minnesota: +1400
Maryland: +1900
Michigan State: +3000
Ohio State: +3500
USC: +6000

Potential Ohio State rematch

If all the favorites win, Minnesota will play Ohio State in the quarterfinals. It will be a rematch of their Feb. 18 matchup, which the Gophers won 74-61 at Williams Arena. Mara Braun and Sophie Hart both had a team-high 18 points in that game, in which the Gophers used a 27-13 third quarter to cruise to a comfortable win. Minnesota dominated in the post in that game with a 47-32 rebounding advantage and a 32-16 difference in points scored in the paint. It will be interesting to see if a neutral site impacts the contest.

What's a 'success' for the Gophers?

As the four seed, Minnesota would have to face UCLA in the semifinal round if it takes care of business in its first game on Friday. Beating the Bruins feels like a huge challenge for any team in the conference. If the Gophers win their quarterfinal game against either Ohio State, Nebraska or Indiana, whom they've all beaten already this season, they would likely lock up a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament. It's hard to argue that it wouldn't be a successful run for Minnesota, especially if they were to keep things competitive with UCLA in the semis.

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