The Big Dance is seriously just a couple weeks away! After the year sports bettors were just forced to swallow, it feels great to have that statement roll off the tongue. Here’s to hoping all these kids get to lace up their dancing shoes once again! We’re getting down to the nitty gritty. Teams are making a final push to win their respective conference’s regular season title to better their positioning in upcoming tourneys. Other conferences have already begun playing their tournaments. It’s all coming together! With that, it’s time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders at online sportsbooks. Hopefully by now you’ve already established an NCAA tournament portfolio to get the best of the numbers across the board. Don’t fret if you haven’t; there’s time to bank on a number of teams that still offer up value and have a realistic shot of cutting the nets down. Without further ado, these are the teams you’ll want to ride or die with, avoid like the plague or throw some beer money on throughout the Madness.
The NCAA Tournament is set to tip-off on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at venues located in the state of Indiana. The games will be broadcast live on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.
College Basketball Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
RIDE OR DIE
Gonzaga Bulldogs +250 - Corey Kispert and Drew Timme are arguably the best guard/big combo in the country. Throw super frosh Jalen Suggs into the mix, and the Zags just might have what it takes to live up to the lofty expectations of being favored to win it all a majority of the season.
Baylor Bears +350 – When healthy and in rhythm, the only other team comparable to the Zags have been the Bears from Waco. Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell are special players that could thrive at the next level. The only hang-up of making a deep run is running into an opponent that can dominate in the paint due to the team’s limited size. Think Luka Garza or Neemias Queta.
Michigan Wolverines +420 – Yes, the Wolverines just got their salad tossed at home by the Illini. Negative regression was destined to rear its ugly head. The loss only allows futures bettors to buy on the dip. This team is physical, efficient and unforgiving. There isn’t a better balanced team in the nation. Michigan continues to be my selection to cut down the nets.
Houston Cougars +1800 – Ranked within the top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency at KenPom, Kelvin Sampson’s squad isn’t one to take lightly. Though each of its three losses has taken place on the road, the Coogs for all intents and purposes have annihilated everyone that’s gotten in their way to this point. Nobody will be eager to oppose this team in March!
Illinois Fighting Illini +2000 – You got to love this return for an Illini team that enters experienced and battle tested. It’s got the inside/outside game to drive all opposition nuts with Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier patrolling the perimeter and slashing to the hoop, while Kofi Cockburn beasts in the paint. The team has also been successful both at home and on the road!
Alabama Crimson Tide +2000 – If the Crimson Tide aren’t hitting their shots from beyond the arc, they’ll be an easy out. But if they continue to stroke it like they have on so many occasion over the course of the regular season, look out! Nate Oats has done a heck of a job since taking over the program, and his kids aren’t likely to just be satisfied with the SEC regular season title.
Florida State Seminoles +2000 – Holding me back from really getting excited about the Noles is the head coach. For one reason or another, Leonard Hamilton always seems to make the worst possible call at the worst possible time. But this year could be different. FSU’s size and athleticism is simply unmatched. All it has to do to do to make another deep run is figure it out upstairs.
Creighton Bluejays +2600 – Greg McDermott has got an exceptional team at his disposal that could go HAM at a moment’s notice and bust a boatload of brackets. I’m a big fan of the talent and experience on this roster. Marcus Zegarowski is a gifted shooter that hasn’t been able to put it all together due to a midseason hamstring injury. He’s recently been coming around and could use the NCAA Tournament as his pedestal for greatness!
Arkansas Razorbacks +5000 – No team has been hotter since late January than Eric Musselman’s hogs! With only a loss at OK-State in their last 11 games, Arkansas is most definitely on NCAA tourney futures bettor’s radar. With its ability to score points in bunches and play a better than average brand of defense, Woo Pig Sooie is one to watch and invest on in the dance!
AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
Villanova Wildcats +1300 – The offense is way too hit or miss for my likes and Jay Wright’s defense leaves much to be desired. It’s simply not of championship caliber.
Iowa Hawkeyes +1800 – Iowa’s offense is undoubtedly tremendous with it centered around soon to be named Player of the Year Luka Garza. But that defense; oh that defense…
Ohio State Buckeyes +1800 – Washington Jr. and Liddell form a solid 1-2 punch. The offense is deadly when Ahrens is on, but I’ve seen enough of this team to know they don’t have the goods.
West Virginia Mountaineers +2000 – WVU can shoot the living daylights out of the ball, but what happens if they’re off? Huggy Bear’s defense sure as heck won’t save the day.
Texas Longhorns +2600 – Texas loves partaking in nail biters. They’ve won some and lost some. The talent’s there to make a run, but they just make way too many mistakes in crunch time.
Virginia Cavaliers +2800 – Linemakers are giving this year’s installment of the Wahoos way too much respect. The offense has always been tough to watch under Bennet, but the defense made up for it. That’s not the case this time around with UVA not even the owner of the best defensive efficiency in a down ACC.
Texas Tech Red Raiders +3000 – Mac McClung could fire a few daggers that propel the Red Raiders into the Sweet 16, but the party won’t go much further. The offense is just too ugly!
Kansas Jayhawks +3000 – No team plays better defense in the Big 12 than the Jayhawks. Unfortunately, the offense makes your eyes bleed with regularity. Another early exit for Bill Self is highly likely.
Missouri Tigers +5500 – Mizzou has the paint prowess and guard play to make a deep run in the dance, but it’s inability to consistently show on the road leaves cause for concern.
BEER $$$ INVESTMENTS
Oklahoma State Cowboys +2000 – 1 name, Cade Cunningham!
Oklahoma Sooners +3500 – Austin Reaves has the game and body type to be a legit contributor at the NBA level. If his teammates cooperate, Lon Kruger could pull off some magic.
Wisconsin Badgers +4000 – Everybody will be hating on the Badgers with the team failing every single one of its premiere B1G tests. Ever hear the saying of “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”
Loyola Chicago +4500 – Sister Jean Part Deux!
USC Trojans +5500 – Though the Trojans have stumbled towards the finish, don’t underestimate Andy Enfield’s squad. This Evan Mobley kid is something else and one to be watched!
Oregon Ducks +5500 – I feel like the Ducks are on the verge of breaking out. Dana Altman’s roster has been hit hard by COVID and the injury bug. It’s rounding into form at the best possible time.
San Diego State +7500 – Since dropping a pair at Utah State, SDST has rattled off 10 straight wins (8-2 ATS). The defense is lock down and Matt Mitchell never says die!
Connecticut Huskies +7500 – Buy the Huskies now because this price point will be slashed once James Bouknight and company win the Big East Tournament; mark my words!
Rutgers Scarlet Knights +8000 – The regular season underperformance creates an excellent buying opportunity on a Rutgers team that’s leaps and bounds better than its 13-10 overall record suggests.
Florida Gators +9000 – It pains me to think what this team would look like had Keyontae Johnson not been lost for the season. Either way, Mike White has his team competing and it would make for a great story should a deep run come to pass.
Utah State Aggies +11000 – Some team out of the Mountain West is going to bust some brackets over the next month. Why not an experienced Aggies team that has the inside/outside offensive game and sound defense to frustrate the heck out of any and all that dares get in front of them?
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