It seems as though the NCAA is going to try and make a run at having college basketball this season. Amid the first lockdowns of the pandemic, the NCAA tournament was canceled and many college basketball fans were left without a resolved season. While we will never know what might have happened between the second week of March and the beginning of April, we can look forward to the 2021 season and the tournament. There have been ideas floated by the ACC to allow every team into a giant 300+ team tournament. The Blue Bloods and the perennial top-15 teams will all be vying for the title when the time comes. In my opinion, the more March Madness the better! Regardless of how many teams play, NCAA betting odds are finally here!
NCAA Tournament favorites
As of right now, there are some great futures bets for fans to put wagers on. The top spot is held by the Gonzaga Bulldogs (+450), who return a great number of players and bring in some new fun talent. Following close behind, the Baylor Bears (+800) have been showing out and have solidified themselves as a top-3 team. Iowa (+1000), Illinois (+1000), and Villanova (+1200) round out the top-five. These are all amazing values. I suggest that bettors get on a couple of teams right now. Out of those teams, the best value is in the Villanova Wildcats and that is for one simple reason, Jay Wright. He knows how to coach winning basketball teams and has two titles in the last decade to prove it.
Against the spread odds
To go along with the tournament odds, there is some homework to do in regard to the best values against the spread. Hofstra took the top spot in the shortened season with an ATS record of 25-8-0. They covered 75.8% of the time. Now if you are more interested in sticking with the major conferences there are some to choose from. Iowa had a great record of 19-9-3 while Georgia Tech put up a 20-10-0 record ATS. Kansas and Oregon were both solid with 19-12 records ATS. Both teams should be respectable this season. It will be interesting to see which teams can improve as we gear up for a late November start date to college basketball. However, what about bad picks when it comes to ATS? Despite being one of the best teams in the nation last year, Gonzaga is rough when it comes to ATS stats. The WCC has teams that are regularly 25-30+ point dogs to the Bulldogs of Spokane and they finished with a middling 17-16 record. Those ATS stats are pretty sporadic. Last season it was easy to lose that comfy 40 point lead when the benchwarmers get out there. Stay away or play it smart.
Since the season has gotten underway it is hard to know where NCAA betting odds are headed. Hopefully, the season stays healthy and minimal games need to be moved or canceled. As you bet this season, don’t forget to keep up with everything here at Def Pen Betting.
