The biggest college basketball games to watch and wager on in major conferences Big Ten and SEC the final month of the season leading up to the conference tourney's and NCAA Tournament 

The closing 4-5 weeks of the college basketball regular season will be watched closely as the top teams and major conferences set the pace towards conference tournament action and the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Key games in the Big Ten and SEC will drive the watch and wager action with the bracket watch providing a daily dose of the top teams that will make the NCAA Tournament and push for conference titles and tournament positioning. 

I'll add some small conference coverage in the weeks ahead, along with stats and profiles to add to your college basketball handicapping and betting. Ahead of March Madness and Selection Sunday on March 15, we'll again be providing conference tournament coverage and our Countdown to the NCAA Tournament with betting previews and profiles of the top teams. 

Top Teams And Schedules Big Ten And SEC

Let's take a look at the tight conference races in the Big Ten and SEC. The top 2 conferences are both projected to send 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The standings, rankings and projections will change in the weeks ahead as the top teams battle through key games to close the season that will decide regular season and conference tournament titles, along with seedings for the NCAA Tournament. 

Big Ten

Heading into the final Saturday of January, four Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll, and Purdue is No. 12 after starting the season No. 1 with the Boilermakers currently on a 3-game losing streak and 0-7 ATS in their last seven games. Michigan (19-1/9-1 Big Ten) and Nebraska (20-1/9-1) just finished a key game Jan. 27 with the Wolverines handing the Cornhuskers their first loss of the season, 75-72 in Ann Arbor. Michigan is the only Big Ten team in the top 25 scoring offenses in the country averaging 90.9 points per game (No. 4). Illinois (17-3/8-1) is next at 85.5 ppg scoring, and the Fighting Illini play Nebraska in Lincoln on Feb. 1.

Michigan State (19-2/9-1) and Purdue (17-4/7-3) are still battling for a regular season conference title as top 12 teams in the AP Top 25 Poll and top teams in the college basketball NET rankings. The Friday night feature on Jan. 30 will draw big watch and wager action when Michigan State hosts Michigan in a huge Big Ten battle with the Spartans sporting a top-5 scoring defense (63.5 ppg) in the country against Michigan's top 5 scoring offense. 

Other projected NCAA Tournament teams include Wisconsin (15-6/7-3), UCLA (14-6/7-3), Ohio State (14-6/6-4), Iowa (15-5/5-4) and USC (15-6/4-6) with Indiana (14-7/5-5) still needing to pick up some big wins to make the Big Dance with the Hoosiers just 1-6 vs. Quad 1 teams. But Iowa (1-4), Wisconsin (1-5), USC (1-3) and UCLA (2-5) could use some big wins over Quad 1 teams down the stretch as well to improve their profiles and standing. 

Both Nebraska and UCLA remain undefeated at 12-0 on their home court this season. They join five Big 12 teams, two ACC and one SEC team that remain unbeaten at home from major conferences, and 32 teams overall undefeated at home. 

Jan. 30 - Michigan at Michigan State
Jan. 31 - Indiana at UCLA
Feb. 1 - Illinois at Nebraska
Feb. 3 - Indiana at USC
Feb. 7 - Illinois at Michigan State, Wisconsin at Indiana
Feb. 8 - Michigan at Ohio State
Feb. 10 - Purdue at Nebraska, Wisconsin at Illinois
Feb. 11 - USC at Ohio State
Feb. 13 - Michigan State at Wisconsin
Feb. 14 - Purdue at Iowa, UCLA at Michigan
Feb. 15 - Indiana at Illinois 
Feb. 17 - Michigan at Purdue, Nebraska at Iowa, UCLA at Michigan State, Wisconsin at Ohio State
Feb. 18 - Illinois at USC
Feb. 20 - Indiana at Purdue
Feb. 21 - Duke at Michigan, Illinois at UCLA
Feb. 22 - Ohio State at Michigan State, Iowa at Wisconsin
Feb. 24 - USC at UCLA
Feb. 25 - Ohio State at Iowa  
Feb. 26 - Michigan State at Purdue
Feb. 27 - Michigan at Illinois
Feb. 28 - Nebraska at USC
March 1 - Purdue at Ohio State, Michigan State at Indiana
March 3 - Nebraska at UCLA
March 5 - Michigan at Iowa
March 7 - Wisconsin at Purdue, Indiana at Ohio State, USC at UCLA
March 8 - Michigan State at Michigan, Iowa State at Nebraska

Back in late November over Thanksgiving, I attended the Players Era Championship tournament in Las Vegas and watched Michigan steamroll three opponents on their way to the tournament title. The Wolverines scored 94, 101 and 102 points in beating all three teams by at least 30 points - San Diego State (15-5), Auburn (14-7) and Gonzaga (21-1) - all projected NCAA Tournament teams. 

Michigan was greater than 12/1 to win the NCAA Tournament before they crushed current top 10 team Gonzata in the Players ERA Championship game, and now the Wolverines are +450 odds to win the NCAA Tournament at BetUS. No. 1 Arizona (21-0) is +400 as the top team in the Big 12, No. 2 Connecticut (20-1) is +1200 as the top team in the Big East with Duke (19-1) +850 as the top team in the ACC. A logjam in the SEC and Florida (15-6) still holding the lowest odds in the conference to win the NCAA Tournament at +2200. Four other Big Ten teams are still among the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament according to the sportsbook odds with Illinois (+1600), Purdue (+2000), Michigan State (+3000) and Nebraska (+3500) among the title contenders.  

SEC

Last season the SEC was the best conference in college basketball and sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament and seven made the Sweet Sixteen. Florida won the national title and all four No. 1 seeds make the Final Four including Auburn, who beat Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen and Michigan State in the Elite Eight. 

All SEC teams have at least 3 losses this season heading into the final Saturday of January with Texas A&M (16-4/6-1 SEC) leading the conference. But the highest-ranked team just cracking the top 15 is Arkansas (16-5/6-2), who is the only undefeated SEC team at home and has a top 10 scoring offense in the country averaging 89.3 points per game. The Hogs join Alabama (14-6/4-3) and Texas A&M at 92 ppg, Vanderbilt (18-3/5-3) at 89.6 ppg and the top-scoring team in the country, Georgia (16-5/4-4) at 93 points per game. Florida (15-6/5-3) is currently projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament along with Vandy, who has the top NET rating in the SEC at No. 12.

Auburn (14-7/5-3), Kentucky (14-7/5-3) and Tennessee (14-6/4-3) are projected in the Big Dance as 5-7 seeds while Texas (12-9/3-5) is on the bubble but projected as a last team in. Missouri (14-7/4-4) remains on the outside looking in with a Net Ranking of 73 but 3-4 vs. Quad 1 teams.   

Jan. 31 - Texas A&M at Georgia, Kentucky at Arkansas, Auburn at Tennessee
Feb. 1 - Alabama at Florida
Feb. 4 - Texas A&M at Alabama
Feb. 7 - Florida at Texas A&M, Alabama at Auburn, Tennessee at Kentucky
Feb. 10 - Vanderbilt at Auburn
Feb. 11 - Florida at Georgia, Missouri at Texas A&M
Feb. 14 - Texas A&M at Vanderbilt, Kentucky at Florida, Auburn at Arkansas
Feb. 17 - Arkansas at Alabama, Georgia at Kentucky
Feb. 18 - Vanderbilt at Missouri
Feb. 21 - Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Kentucky at Auburn
Feb. 21 - Missouri at Arkansas, Texas at Georgia
Feb. 24 - Tennessee at Missouri
Feb. 25 - Georgia at Vanderbilt, Florida at Texas
Feb. 26 - Texas A&M at Arkansas
Feb. 28 - Vanderbilt at Kentucky, Texas at Texas A&M
Feb. 28 - Alabama at Tennessee, Arkansas at Florida
March 3 - Alabama at Georgia, Kentucky at Texas A&M
March 4 - Texas at Arkansas
March 7 - Arkansas at Missouri, Vanderbilt at Tennessee
March 7 - Florida at Kentucky, Auburn at Alabama 

Select matchups and game odds with any additional stats, picks and information you can bet on provided as able as the season moves through February and into the conference tournaments  and Big Dance. 

You can bet on it. 

FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst with proven winning results including in college basketball. He chips in additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on Twitter: @FairwayJay