NCAA Men's College Basketball Conference Betting Futures: Are the Favorites Vulnerable?
With the NFL season one game away from crowning its next champion in Super Bowl LVI, sports bettors will begin to turn their focus and betting bankrolls to college basketball.
Auburn (+1200) is the No. 1 team in the national polls for the second consecutive week, but Gonzaga remains the overall betting favorite (+650) at SI Sportsbook.
Before we get to arguably the best month of sports betting in the calendar year, SI Betting is here to take an early look at the top basketball conference tournament Futures' odds with March only one month away.
Gerry Broome/AP
Early Look: 2022 ACC Tournament
The 2022 ACC Men’s Basketball Conference finds oddsmakers listing the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils as an overwhelming favorite at prohibitive odds of -200 at SI Sportsbook. Miami (+450) and North Carolina (+800) are the only other teams listed at single-digit odds.
PICK: Duke Blue Devils (18-3 SU, 12-7-2 ATS, 8-2 ACC) -200
The Blue Devils, who have been upset by unranked fellow conference rivals Miami and Florida State over the last month, remain the only team in the ACC to be ranked inside the Top 25. Freshman sensation Paolo Banchero, who leads the club in scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg), once again was pivotal in the team’s 57-43 road win at Notre Dame on Monday night, pouring in 21 points. No. 9 Duke sits at 8-2, tied with Miami atop the ACC regular-season standings, but the Hurricanes currently hold the tie-breaker following their victory over the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium back on Jan. 8.
VALUE: Miami Hurricanes (16-5; 11-10 ATS; 8-2 ACC) +450
Miami has been sensational this season except for when they have played in-state rival Florida State. The Hurricanes, who sit atop the ACC with an 8-2 mark, have won 12 of their last 14 games overall. Their only losses over that span are to Florida State by a combined total of two points! You read that right; Miami is two one-point losses away from being a perfect 10-0 in ACC play. The offense runs through a talented backcourt trio which consists of Kameron Mcgutsy (18.0 ppg), Isaiah Wong (16.0 ppg) and Charlie Moore (12.5 ppg).
LONGSHOT: Florida State Seminoles (13-7; 8-12 ATS; 6-4 ACC) +1200
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Early Look: 2022 Big East Tournament
The 2021 Big East Men’s Basketball Conference is top-heavy, led by No. 12 Villanova. However, the Wildcats do not hold the top spot alone in the regular-season Big East standings as the No. 15 Providence Friars are right there with Villanova. Three other Big East schools are currently ranked as No. 17 UConn, No. 21 Xavier and No. 24 Marquette help the conference tie the Big Ten and the Big 12 with the most clubs (5) earning national recognition inside the Top 25.
EARLY PICK: Villanova Wildcats (16-5 SU, 12-9 ATS, 9-2 Big East) -167
The Wildcats, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games, dominate the Big East. Jay Wright, arguably the best coach in the country, has Villanova poised for a potential third national championship in the last six seasons. The Wildcats, who have won four of the last six Big East Tournaments, are the betting favorites to improve their trophy case on the Main Line thanks to one of the best backcourts in the country led by Cousy Award finalist Collin Gillespie (17.1 ppg) as well as the development of shooting guard Justin Moore (15.5 ppg).
VALUE: Providence Friars (18-2; 12-8 ATS; 8-1 Big East) +240
Ed Cooley has the Friars as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 13 of its last 14 games. Providence avenged its only conference loss this past weekend when they held on to beat No. 24 Marquette after losing to the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee in early January. The Friars have two games remaining with Villanova, which will likely decide who earns the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament in New York City next month.
LONGSHOT: Marquette Golden Eagles (15-7; 14-8 ATS; 7-4 Big East) +2000
Chris Jones/USA TODAY Sports
Early Look: 2022 Big 12 Tournament
The 2022 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Conference is led by No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 Kansas. The Jayhawks are the betting favorite at odds of +120, slightly ahead of the Bears, listed at +160. Three other Big 12 schools: No. 14 Texas Tech, No. 20 Iowa State and No. 23 Texas, enable the conference to place five teams inside the Top 25.
EARLY PICK: Baylor Bears (19-3 SU, 12-9-1 ATS, 7-1 Big 12) +160
Although Kansas is the betting favorite, we land on the defending National Champion Bears. Baylor has balanced scoring with LJ Cryer (13.9 ppg), James Akinjo (13.6 ppg), Adam Flager (12.7 ppg) and Kendall Brown (10.0 ppg) all averaging in double figures. The Bears face off with No. 10 Kansas and No. 23 Texas Tech twice over the regular season’s final weeks, which will likely decide who earns the No. 1 overall seed in next month’s Big 12 Tournament.
VALUE: Texas Tech (16-5; 14-7 ATS; 5-3 Big 12) +500
The Red Raiders hold wins over No. 22 Tennessee and No. 8 Baylor. Last week, Texas Tech came up just short, losing an overtime heartbreaker to No. 10 Kansas, 94-91 at Allen Fieldhouse as 4.5-point road underdogs. Senior forward Bryson Williams has been outstanding, scoring in double-digits in nine consecutive games, including a season-high effort of 33 points against Kansas. Fellow senior forward Kevin Obanor has also stepped up over the last four games averaging 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. If Texas Tech can find more consistent scoring from Terrance Shannon Jr and Kevin McCullar, they offer solid value at odds of +500 to win the Big 12.
LONGSHOT: Texas Longhorns (16-5; 9-12 ATS; 5-3 Big 12) +800
Darron Cummings/AP
Early Look: 2022 Big Ten Tournament
The 2022 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Conference finds No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 18 Illinois tied atop the regular-season standings. Three other Big Ten schools are close behind the leaders as No. 4 Purdue, No. 13 Michigan State and No. 16 Ohio State are less than 1.5-games behind the top spot.
EARLY PICK: Purdue Boilermakers (18-3 SU, 11-10 ATS, 7-3 Big Ten) +275
Although Illinois is the betting favorite at +250, we land on Purdue as the early pick to win the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are 10-2 SU over their last 12 games and impressively posting an 11-1 mark at home. Trevion Williams (12.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Zach Edey (15.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg) are a dynamic tandem down low for the Boilermakers. Purdue’s championship aspirations remind me of the 2011 UConn Huskies, who were led by the supreme talents of Kemba Walker. Star point guard Jaden Ivey (16.8 ppg) possesses many of the same elite attributes. Road games at Michigan State and Wisconsin to close out the tail end of the regular season slate will likely determine if Purdue can earn the top overall seed for the Big Ten Tournament.
VALUE: Michigan State (16-4; 12-8 ATS; 7-2 Big Ten) +325
The Spartans have won 11 of their last 13 games, but Michigan State is just 2-2 vs. the AP Top 25. The Spartans are a half-game behind Wisconsin and Illinois atop the Big Ten regular-season standings. Playing in a conference with four other Top 25 teams will not be easy for Tom Izzo’s crew. However, Michigan State gets the nod as the value pick here as their postseason Big Ten tournament seeding gets a tremendous boost of playing three pivotal matchups with Wisconsin, Illinois and Purdue, all at the friendly confines of the Breslin Center.
LONGSHOT: Wisconsin (17-3; 12-8 ATS; 8-2 Big Ten) +350
Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.
Get fantasy and betting analysis in your inbox by signing up for the Winners Club newsletter
Check the Latest Odds from SI Sportsbook
More Betting, Fantasy and NFL:
• NBA Bets: Wizards-Bucks, Nets-Suns
• Betting Roundtable: Super Bowl LVI MVP
• Rams Favored Over Bengals
• The Bengals are a Cinderella Story
• Tom Brady: The Fantasy G.O.A.T.
• As It Happened: Bengals Beat Chiefs
• As It Happened: Rams Defeat 49ers
• How The Rams and Bengals Got Here
• My Favorite Bet: First Super Bowl Score
