Conference Tournaments are underway. Selection Sunday is right around the corner. March Madness is here! The following are my top three favorite, underdog and longshot bets to make if you haven’t hit them already.
Conference Tournaments are underway. Selection Sunday is right around the corner. March Madness is here! By now, you national championship portfolio should be filled with investments that were locked in over the course of the regular season. College basketball bettors should have a pretty solid idea of which teams have a shot, and which teams don’t. But it’s March. Crazy things happen in March. We’ve already seen a number of top seeded regular season title winners go by the wayside in their respective tournaments. More upsets are likely to be sprung through Sunday. As such, there is still value to be had if looking to add more positions to your portfolio. The following are my top three favorite, underdog and longshot bets to make if you haven’t hit them already.
National Championship Betting Odds
Gonzaga +350
Arizona +650
Kentucky +700
Baylor +1000
Auburn/Duke +1200
Purdue/Kansas +1400
UCLA/Villanova/Texas Tech +2500
Tennessee +3500
Houston +4000
Arkansas/Wisconsin +5000
Texas/Alabama +6000
Ohio State/UConn/ Providence +7000
LSU/Iowa +8000
Memphis/Michigan State/USC/Marquette/St. Mary’s/North Carolina +10000
Michigan +12000
Notre Dame/Murray State/Boise State +15000
Seton Hall/Wyoming/Oregon/Rutgers/San Diego State/Colorado State/SMU +20000
Iowa State/Indiana/Florida/Miami/Oklahoma/Davidson +25000
Virginia +50000
Bryant +100000
Favorite to Bet: Kentucky Wildcats +700
KY Jelly initially hit the board as better than 17-1 dogs to cut the nets down come the conclusion of the 2022 NCAA tournament. It got as high as +2250 at the end of January when it dropped an 80-71 decision to Auburn in the game it was feared an injury to TyTy Washington would cost him the remainder of the season. It didn’t. Though he’s battled injury ever since, Coach Calipari’s stud guard looks to be 100 percent healthy entering the “Madness.” That’s my main reason why I’ve got the Kentucky Wildcats pegged as the team to beat over the next month. Health is the only thing that can prevent this insane roster from cutting down the nets. The 1-2 guard combo of Washington and Sahvir Wheeler is arguably the best in the nation. Then you got Davidson transfer Kellan Grady lighting the opposition up from deep. Bringing the nice tidy package all together is likely Wooden Award winner Oscar Tshiebwe and his double-double worth of production every passing game. The Wildcats are one of five teams I ultimately believe have the best shot of winning it all. To put it out there; Arizona is one of the others so I wouldn’t fault you for buying some shares of Tommy Lloyd’s squad as well. Either way, both teams are destined to become No. 1 seeds in the Big Dance and I fully expect each to thrive en route to at the very least punching a ticket to New Orleans to compete in the Final Four.
Underdog to Bet: Texas Tech Red Raiders +2500
I can’t even begin to explain how impressed I am with the job Mark Adams and his patch worked staff have done in Lubbock this season. Chris Beard bolting for another in-state rival this past offseason certainly threw a wrench into the program’s plan of getting back to the Final Four and actually being the last team standing. Tensions were high. The fan base was pissed. What was Texas Tech to do? Well, all they did was go out and win 23 games and go undefeated at home (18-0) while going 12-6 in Big 12 play. Personally, I think it’s laughable that Terrence Shannon Jr. and company’s odds of winning the national championship are worse now than when they first hit the board all the way back in April of last season (+2250). I’m well aware the squad had issues on the road logging just three wins through 10 tries, but this team is as legit as they come. Currently ranked No. 11 overall per the Pomeroy Ratings, the Red Raiders march the nation’s No. 14 ranked scoring (60.7 PPG) and No. 1 efficiency defenses onto the hardwood every passing game. It turns the opposition over at the 10th best rate in the country, and is nearly impossible to score against inside the perimeter (No. 10). While turnovers (No. 292) and 3-point shooting (No. 283) are a concern, I believe both issues rectify themselves in a neutral setting. With four double-digit scorers on hand paired with that nasty defense, I really like the prospects of this team making another run at the title after falling to Virginia in the finals back in 2019.
Longshots to Bet: Arkansas Razorbacks +5000 / San Diego State Aztecs +20000
We’ll close with a two-fer with each squad posing depth issues that could hook them along the way. That is likely why both Arkansas and San Diego State are being offered up at such attractive odds. One thing both teams have in common is a silent assassin. For the Hogs, he comes in the form of J.D. Notae – 18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. For the Aztecs, he’s none other than Cal transfer Matt Bradley who tickled the twine for an average of 17.8 points while shooting nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc. Both are electric players that can singlehandedly take over games and guide their respective teams to the Promised Land. But these squads aren’t just one man shows. Arkansas has itself a dynamic big in the form of Jaylin Williams who averages a near double-double with 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds. SDST possesses a defensive dominator of its own as well in Nathan Mensah (7.4 PPG) who’s a disruptor if nothing else in averaging 7.0 rebounds while blocking north of two shots per game. Armed with standout PTPers and defenses that take no mercy on the opposition, it could fall into place for these lottery tickets should everything line up in their respective brackets.
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