NCAAB Conference Tournaments
One Step Closer to Madness
March Madness is near and the road to selection Sunday is underway.
15 Conference Tournaments have already started, with another 17 set to tip off this week. We’re going to break down the big ones and let you know what we’re thinking. For the smaller conferences - you can always find us on Twitter: TheDegenWeekly or tune in to see how many units Greg loses, as he attempts to pick a winner from all 32 conference tournaments. Either way, the Madness is about to begin and we’ll be popping in for the next couple of weeks to let you know how we’re approaching our favorite bets for the month.
ACC
Start Date: Tuesday, March 7th Defending Champ: Virginia Tech
A down year for the ACC but this tourney still has some potential for fireworks. Duke was at +600 a week ago, but after a big win in Chapel Hill they earned a double bye and are now the projected favorite. No shame in seeing value with UNC (+750), but the fact that no one expects anything from Clemson (+750) is catching our attention.
Degen: Clemson +750 (1 Unit), Virginia Tech +4000 (.25 Units)
Jake: Clemson +750 (1 Unit), Syracuse +5000 (.25 Units)
Greg: Duke +280 (1 Unit), NC State +1400 (.25 Units)
Big East
Start Date: Wednesday, March 8th Defending Champ: Villanova
The Big East is back! There are 5-6 legit heavy hitters with a real shot to take it home. You can see by how split we are on our picks below.
Degen: Villanova +500 (1 Unit)
Jake: Creighton +250 (1 Unit)
Greg: UConn +220 (1 Unit)
Big Ten
Start Date: Wednesday, March 8th Defending Champ: Iowa
What a year for Big 10 basketball. Tons of value across the board, but there are two things we like about Purdue. Their odds are significantly higher than everyone else’s, and they aren’t getting the amount love they deserve from the general public.
Degen: Purdue +200 (1Unit), Michigan +1800 (.25 Units)
Jake: Purdue +200 (1 Unit)
Greg: Purdue +200 (1 Unit)
Big Twelve
Start Date: Wednesday, March 8th Defending Champ: Kansas
Neck and neck with the Big Ten for the best conference this year has been the Big 12. Value all over this board, but some of our favorites are TCU and Iowa State.
Degen: TCU +600 (1 Unit)
Jake: Iowa State +1000 (1 Unit)
Greg: TCU +600 (1 Unit), Texas Tech +3500 (.25 Units)
PAC - 12
Start Date: Wednesday, March 8th Defending Champ: Arizona
All year has been leading up to an Arizona vs. UCLA finale. We’ll see if it delivers.
Degen: Arizona +190 (1 Unit)
Jake: UCLA +125 (1 Unit)
Greg: Oregon +1400 (.5 Units)
SEC
Start Date: Wednesday, March 8th Defending Champ: Tennessee
All the talk is about Alabama (+165) and freshman phenom Brandon Miller, which means there can be some good value spots if you’re willing to fade the top dog. Kentucky seemed to get it together down the stretch, but they would certainly need to make some major strides to win it all this weekend.
Degen: Kentucky +470 (1 Unit), Missouri +2600 (.25 Units)
Jake: Texas A&M +600 (1 Unit)
Greg: Kentucky +470 (1 Unit), Vandy +4000 (.25 Units)
BONUS:
IVY League: The games take place at Princeton (+165), but they seem to be the obvious choice. Yale (+115) is the favorite, but in a small bracket we’re taking long shot Cornell (+1000).
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