As hard as it might be to believe, it's already February - and we're coming down the home stretch of the college basketball season.
Betfred has updated their title odds, and because of it, we've decided to get you updated as well: With the best bets and biggest stayaways in the new title odds:
Best Bets
Alabama (+1000): Alabama is one of the best teams in all of college basketball this season. They’re proving they’re more than just the football school. The team is loaded with firepower but are led by their freshman Brandon Miller. Miller is the best freshman in the country, averaging 22 points on an insane 44 percent three-point shooting. Mark Sears has been a great revelation as a transfer guard from Ohio. Noah Clowney and Jaden Bradley have also been very good as freshmen too. As a team, the Tide can score better than they defend, but they do both very well. Alabama is also first in college basketball in rebounding. They play in a tough conference, but they’ve passed most of the tests there. There’s value for Alabama at the top here and they really could win the whole thing, they are that talent.
Kansas (+1000): The defending champions are primed to potentially do it once again this year. They’re also a different team from an expected Kansas team. They play with no real big man and have a team full of guards and wings. Their best player is Jalen Wilson who’s been one of the best players in all of college basketball this year, averaging nearly 22 points on 36 percent three-point shooting. He’s capable of carrying the Jayhawks, when need be, too. Gradey Dick has been very good for Kansas this year as a freshman to the point where he’s been right behind Wilson in scoring production. K.J. Adams and Kevin McCullar have also been big keys for the Jayhawks’ success this year too. They don’t excel at any one thing, but they do everything solid. Usually, the odds are against teams repeating in college basketball because there’s so much turnover, but there’s value here. Bill Self is the best coach in college basketball and has done another incredible job this year. Look out for Kansas once again in March.
Arizona (+1200): The Wildcats have rebounded a bit after hitting a rut a few weeks ago. They have the best combination of big men in the country and have guards that have found some consistency finally. Azuolas Tubelis is the key at power forward for the Wildcats. He leads not just the team, but the entire Pac-12 in points and rebounds per game. He’s joined by Oumar Ballo at center down low, who might be the most improved player in all of college basketball. That one-two punch is something almost every team in the country will have issues dealing with. The guards are key and had to be better than what they were. So far, they’ve rebounded well with Kerr Kriisa having a career game recently and Courtney Ramey being more consistent too. As a team, they excel more on offense than on defense. They are extremely fast paced on offense and are third in assists per game at 19. They are also in the top-12 in points scored and are 4th in rebounding at 41 per game. There’s value here because of how good Tommy Lloyd has been as a coach, and they seem like they are rounding into form at just the right time.
Stay Aways:
Houston (+650): Houston is legitimately one of the best teams in all of college basketball this year. Marcus Sasser is the best player on the team and leads in scoring and steals per game. What makes Houston so dangerous though is that Jarace Walker, J’Wan Roberts, and Tramon Mark are all capable of leading the team in scoring too. The Cougars are loaded and well-rounded. As a team, they excel more on defense than on offense. They’re third in the country in points allowed at 54.9, and that’s helped them have the highest point differential in college basketball at +20.4. However, there’s a concern with Houston with their offense being consistent, and with how good their schedule was this year. The biggest reason to stay away here is that the Cougars are a big favorite to win it all, and you can find value elsewhere, especially in a college basketball season that feels so wide open.
Purdue (+1000): Purdue came out of nowhere this year with how good they are just because they experienced so much turnover from last year. They have a monster down low in Zach Edey. The 7’4” junior center has been the most dominant player for Purdue and the most dominant player in all of college basketball this year. Fletcher Loyer is their guard that stands out that can help take the load off Edey when needed. Braden Smith and Caleb Furst have also been good for the Boilermakers when needed. As a team, they aren’t elite at any one thing, but are solid across the board on offense and defense. There’s some value here, but because of how chaotic the college basketball season is, there’s not a huge reason to trust Purdue. They are ranked #1 right now and are one of the best teams, but you can’t trust them in March, especially with Matt Painter’s past history there too. Having two freshmen guards in their backcourt is probably a cause for concern as well.
Tennessee (+1000): The Volunteers are a very good team. This could be the team that finally helps Rick Barnes get over the hump. Santiago Vescovi is the leader of the team, but he’s joined by Zakai Zeigler too in the back court. Both have a huge impact on what Tennessee does on both offense and defense. Olivier Nkamhoua and Josiah-Jordan James have also been very good for the Volunteers when needed on both ends of the court. As a team, Tennessee excels more on defense than on offense. They are first in points allowed at 54.5 points per game and are also second in point differential at +19.9. The biggest concern for Tennessee is how consistent they can be on offense. They seem battle-tested this year, but how much does that factor in? Rick Barnes also has a history of having his teams flame out in the tournament. Stay away from the Volunteers to win it all.
You can see the full Betfred Sportsbook college hoops odds here
Follow Jake Faigus on Twitter - @Jake_Faigus