Mad about March - Jan. 30
Mad about March
Halfway through the conference schedule, the cream is starting to rise to the top and the race is on for the top two seeds for each region in the NCAA Tournament. So let’s take a look at our second week of college basketball top teams.
This week’s Top Four in the college basketball landscape:
#1. Purdue - The Boilermakers earned the top spot yet again after another solid week. Purdue is 21-1 on the season and went 3-0 this week including completing the season sweep of Michigan State. Zach Edey is almost a virtual lock for Player of the Year. They keep winning but the Boilermakers' odds have stayed steady.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +1000
#2. Houston - Houston had another hiccup this week with a shocking home loss to Temple. The Cougars finished the week 2-1 and still have the lowest odds to win the title based on the team’s combination of shutdown defense and team rebounding. Still, those losses are a bit alarming and certainly don’t help the Cougars case for a top seed. With two losses now, the Cougars really need to run the table and likely win the AAC to earn that #1 regional seed.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +600
#3. Tennessee - Tennessee moves up the rankings and increased the team’s chances of getting a #1 seed thanks to a bad loss by Alabama and a tough week by Kansas. The Volunteers will likely be battling ‘Bama and possibly Auburn for a possible #1 regional seed.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +1200
#4. Virginia - A light week for the Hoos with just one game, a win over BC. They benefited from tough weeks for Alabama and Kansas. If Virginia wins the ACC title and captures the ACC tourney, they will be a #1 seed.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +2200
Best of the Rest:
#5. Arizona - The Pac-12 will have a say as far as who ends up with a #1 seed. Arizona has beaten Tennessee and has a win over UCLA as well. If they win out, they’re a strong candidate to earn a top spot.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +1800
#6. Alabama - The Crimson Tide were trounced by Oklahoma on the road as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, halting their meteoric rise all the way to #2 in the country. With Tennessee passing them, it’ll likely come down to which team takes the SEC.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +1000
#7. Kansas State - Kansas State was unranked and picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12. They are now 18-3 and tied for the top spot in the Big 12. A loss to TCU was quickly erase with a big win over Florida on Saturday.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +4000
#8. UCLA - I’m sticking with the Bruins here ahead of the likes of Kansas and Texas. The Big 12 gets messy with so many quality teams. For the Pac-12, it will likely come down to the rematch of UCLA and Arizona for the regular season crown and that duo will likely meet again for the league tournament title.
Odds to win NCAA Title: +1400
Best Future Odds:
Two teams outside the current Elite Eight that are certainly worth keeping a keen eye on; Kansas and Baylor. I think Texas will falter with all the controversy they have had to endure in the coaching ranks. Baylor is playing its best ball right now and, as we know, Kansas and Baylor have been there in recent years. Current odds for each to win the National Title: Kansas- Kansas (+1200) and Baylor (+2500).
In parenthesis, NCAA Tournament title odds. Odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle
