Winners Club: Projecting the NCAA Tournament Field and Futures Betting Picks

Gonzaga has asserted itself as the top team in the nation with just a few weeks remaining before March Madness.

February is already more than halfway over, which means March is right around the corner. It’s almost time for some madness.

There was a bit of madness around the country Tuesday night as top-25 teams continue to fall like dominoes. No. 16 Tennessee beat No. 4 Kentucky at home, 76-63, safely covering the 1.5-point spread. Unranked Penn State upset No. 19 Michigan State, 62-58, and unranked New Mexico outlasted No. 22 Wyoming at home, 75-66, as a 5.5-point underdog.

There’s sure to be even more movement in next week’s AP Poll as this week is already off to a hectic start. Keep reading for NCAA Men’s Basketball futures bets, tournament projections and more.

College Hoops

Top-Ranked Gonzaga Heavily Favored to Win Title

Young Kwak/AP

The Bulldogs reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll, aligning their ranking with their SI Sportsbook position as the betting favorites to win the NCAA Championship. Gonzaga’s core of Drew Timme, Andrew Nembhard and Chet Holmgren has propelled the team to a 21-2 record. With the Zags such a heavy favorite, other top-ranked teams like Auburn and Arizona present some value. Frankie Taddeo walked through the top title contenders in his latest futures piece.

Bracket Watch: Kevin Sweeney projected the field of 68 after a week that saw some risers and fallers. His projected No. 1 seeds are Gonzaga, Auburn, Kentucky and Arizona. See where your favorite team or alma mater stands with just a few weeks of games remaining.

Coach K Update: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was unable to coach the second half of Tuesday’s narrow win against Wake Forest due to health issues. Jon Scheyer, who will be taking over the program when Krzyzewski retires after this season, said the legendary coach was doing much better after the game.

NBA Action

No Clear Favorite for DPOY

Rick Bowmer/AP

Draymond Green remains the favorite to capture the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, which would be his second time earning the honor, and three-time winner Rudy Gobert is not far behind him in the odds. Michael Pina wrote about the lack of a clear favorite for the award due to voter fatigue and injuries, and singled out a few sleeper candidates.

Around the League: Two Eastern Conference contenders made massive statements Tuesday. The Celtics throttled the 76ers by 48 points in Philadelphia with James Harden watching from the bench and Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 50 points against the Pacers in a Bucks’ win.

NBA All-Star Schedule: Interested in watching All-Star weekend in Cleveland? The SI NBA staff has you covered with the full event schedule and rosters for Team Durant and Team LeBron.

NFL and Fantasy Football

Five Fantasy Questions for 2022

Aaron Gash/AP

Fantasy drafts aren’t for many, many months, but it’s never too early to begin looking ahead to next season. Dan Falkenheim asked (and answered) five pressing questions for the coming fantasy season. Who’s the new 1.01? What does the quarterback landscape look like come fall? Falkenheim addresses those queries and more for fantasy managers.

2023 Super Bowl Predictions: Neither the Rams or Bengals are the betting favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl, with the Chiefs and Bills having the best odds. Our writers discussed which team’s futures odds they like to win in Arizona a little less than a year from now.

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Thanks for reading Winners Club. Remember, you can email me at winnersclub@si.com with feedback and questions or you can tweet at me @Kkylewood. I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday.