College Basketball Odds: Gators On The Rebound
In this fast-paced, media-driven sports world it's become an exaggerated case of What have you done for me lately? So it's understandable if you have forgotten about the Florida Gators on the college basketball scene. Billy Donovan's squad cut down the nets at the end two conseuctive years (2006-07) and have since vanished from the public eye. The Gators could be back on the scene in the big way this upcoming season.
This is the perfect time to handicap the upcoming college basketball season. Think I’m off my rocker? Hear me out.
The MLB season and its backup singers – Golf, Tennis, NASCAR, the CFL and the WNBA – are in full swing. Trust me, I know you need a break from the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks.
By November, the college hoops season will be underway, as will the NFL, college football, the NBA and the NHL. If you don’t get a handle on the college game now, you won’t have time when the season actually Tips off. The groundwork for winning tickets during conference play is done during the summer.
Besides, it’s not as if the rosters are going to change between now and preseason tournaments. The teams are what they are, and with the exception of a Rick Pitino trial here and an injury there, nothing is really going to change before tip off.
What does change once schools begin playing games are betting odds. Much of betting is staying ahead of trends; if you have a sense of where the value lies today, you won’t be scrambling in front of your computer during conference play trying to find an angle.
In other words, get a head start.
It’s a pretty slow time for news in the college hoops world, so it’s a good time to look at futures odds for the season ahead.
Defending national champion Duke is listed as a +500 favorite to repeat, and while that’s a decent price, there’s better value further down the board.
One thing to keep in mind when assessing college basketball futures is ensemble cast teams, not necessarily the schools centered around big stars, typically cut down the nets in April. More so than the NBA, the college game is a team sport where experience and roster continuity are worth their weight in gold.
A look back at the last four NCAA champions bears that out: Of Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Florida, only the Tar Heels were the most talented team in the country in the year they won. Even then, UNC was blessed with a core that had played together for three years.
That’s why the Gators (+2000 to win the national title outright) could be a wise play in the coming months. It seems long ago Florida went back-to-back and Billy Donovan flirted with leaving for the NBA, but it’s been just three years since Joakim Noah did the Gator Chomp.
The Gators have disappointed since, but Donovan has built what looks like the best team in the SEC with the possible exception of Kentucky. Florida returns all five starters from last year’s team that made the Big Dance, and if there’s any coach that knows how to win without superstars, it’s Donovan.
Remember the Gators’ leading scorer during the championship years? Taurean Green.
Over in the Big East, expect big things from Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh (+1800) again this season. The Panthers were left for dead last season after losing DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields, but they overachieved to the tune of a 25-9 SU and 17-12-2 ATS record.
Dixon lost senior Jermaine Dixon off last year’s squad, but he returns leading scorer Ashton Gibbs and a strong supporting cast. The national title might be a stretch, but Pitt has the right mix for a deep tournament run.
It’s the same scenario at Ohio State (+2500), which lost National POY Evan Turner, but figures to be just as good while providing more value at the books.
Look, there’s no replacing Turner, but the Buckeyes have exactly the type of roster that overperforms. If incoming forward Jared Sullinger is as advertised, Thad Matta has a nice group that includes veterans galore and another stud recruit in DeShawn Thomas.
In a year where no truly great teams appear to be vying for the title, Ohio State could find itself in Houston in April.
After all, Duke won last year with a nucleus of Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, and a foursome of bigs that crashed the glass.
In this fast-paced, media-driven sports world it's become an exaggerated case of What have you done for me lately? So it's understandable if you have forgotten about the Florida Gators on the college basketball scene. Billy Donovan's squad cut down the nets at the end two conseuctive years (2006-07) and have since vanished from the public eye. The Gators could be back on the scene in the big way this upcoming season.
This is the perfect time to handicap the upcoming college basketball season. Think I’m off my rocker? Hear me out.
The MLB season and its backup singers – Golf, Tennis, NASCAR, the CFL and the WNBA – are in full swing. Trust me, I know you need a break from the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks.
By November, the college hoops season will be underway, as will the NFL, college football, the NBA and the NHL. If you don’t get a handle on the college game now, you won’t have time when the season actually Tips off. The groundwork for winning tickets during conference play is done during the summer.
Besides, it’s not as if the rosters are going to change between now and preseason tournaments. The teams are what they are, and with the exception of a Rick Pitino trial here and an injury there, nothing is really going to change before tip off.
What does change once schools begin playing games are betting odds. Much of betting is staying ahead of trends; if you have a sense of where the value lies today, you won’t be scrambling in front of your computer during conference play trying to find an angle.
In other words, get a head start.
It’s a pretty slow time for news in the college hoops world, so it’s a good time to look at futures odds for the season ahead.
Defending national champion Duke is listed as a +500 favorite to repeat, and while that’s a decent price, there’s better value further down the board.
One thing to keep in mind when assessing college basketball futures is ensemble cast teams, not necessarily the schools centered around big stars, typically cut down the nets in April. More so than the NBA, the college game is a team sport where experience and roster continuity are worth their weight in gold.
A look back at the last four NCAA champions bears that out: Of Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Florida, only the Tar Heels were the most talented team in the country in the year they won. Even then, UNC was blessed with a core that had played together for three years.
That’s why the Gators (+2000 to win the national title outright) could be a wise play in the coming months. It seems long ago Florida went back-to-back and Billy Donovan flirted with leaving for the NBA, but it’s been just three years since Joakim Noah did the Gator Chomp.
The Gators have disappointed since, but Donovan has built what looks like the best team in the SEC with the possible exception of Kentucky. Florida returns all five starters from last year’s team that made the Big Dance, and if there’s any coach that knows how to win without superstars, it’s Donovan.
Remember the Gators’ leading scorer during the championship years? Taurean Green.
Over in the Big East, expect big things from Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh (+1800) again this season. The Panthers were left for dead last season after losing DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields, but they overachieved to the tune of a 25-9 SU and 17-12-2 ATS record.
Dixon lost senior Jermaine Dixon off last year’s squad, but he returns leading scorer Ashton Gibbs and a strong supporting cast. The national title might be a stretch, but Pitt has the right mix for a deep tournament run.
It’s the same scenario at Ohio State (+2500), which lost National POY Evan Turner, but figures to be just as good while providing more value at the books.
Look, there’s no replacing Turner, but the Buckeyes have exactly the type of roster that overperforms. If incoming forward Jared Sullinger is as advertised, Thad Matta has a nice group that includes veterans galore and another stud recruit in DeShawn Thomas.
In a year where no truly great teams appear to be vying for the title, Ohio State could find itself in Houston in April.
After all, Duke won last year with a nucleus of Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, and a foursome of bigs that crashed the glass.