Checking in on the Mid Major Conferences Odds
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The AAC has been a competitive conference for much of the season, but as the calendar turned over to February a shocking team found itself at the top of standings.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (15-6, 7-1 AAC) were projected to finish 10th in conference at the beginning of the season but have surged to the top of the conference with a flurry of wins over Houston, UConn, and an 80-40 (that’s not a typo folks) win over preseason favorite Memphis in late January.
Despite the hot start, oddsmakers still aren’t fully sold that Tulsa will see this out and capture the conference championship as they are listed at +1000 this week to bring home the first AAC title in school history.
Last week the Golden Hurricane capped off a great week with a 54-51 win over then 23rd ranked Wichita State. Despite the ‘shocker’ for the Shockers, oddsmakers still have Wichita State as the short favorite to win the AAC at +250, with #25 Houston listed as the next most likely team to win the conference at +300.
Entering this week’s action in college basketball, Joey Brackets himself has the AAC with 4 projected teams (Houston, Memphis, Tulsa and Wichita State) in the field of 68. As far as the futures market goes for the AAC, these are probably your four surest bets to come out on top when it’s all said and done.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (15-6, 7-1 AAC) were projected to finish 10th in conference at the beginning of the season but have surged to the top of the conference with a flurry of wins over Houston, UConn, and an 80-40 (that’s not a typo folks) win over preseason favorite Memphis in late January.
Despite the hot start, oddsmakers still aren’t fully sold that Tulsa will see this out and capture the conference championship as they are listed at +1000 this week to bring home the first AAC title in school history.
Last week the Golden Hurricane capped off a great week with a 54-51 win over then 23rd ranked Wichita State. Despite the ‘shocker’ for the Shockers, oddsmakers still have Wichita State as the short favorite to win the AAC at +250, with #25 Houston listed as the next most likely team to win the conference at +300.
Entering this week’s action in college basketball, Joey Brackets himself has the AAC with 4 projected teams (Houston, Memphis, Tulsa and Wichita State) in the field of 68. As far as the futures market goes for the AAC, these are probably your four surest bets to come out on top when it’s all said and done.
All the attention in the A10 this season has really been focused on the 6th ranked Dayton Flyers (20-2, 9-0 A10) and for good reason.
The Flyers have won 11-straight games, with eight of those wins coming by double digits. Dayton is led by 6-9 sophomore forward Obi Toppin, who has averaged 20 points per game with eight rebounds.
However, despite the red-hot start and Top-10 ranking, the Rhode Island Rams are within a half game of first place (17-5, 9-1 A10) and have also won 9-straight games of their own.
Oddsmakers currently have Dayton has the heavy favorites to win the A10 at -125, but Rhode Island they’re not fully sold on just yet. The Rams still offer outstanding value in the Atlantic 10 Conference odds futures market at +800.
Dayton and Rhode Island are on a collision course to meet for A10 supremacy on February 11th in Dayton, where the Rams look to solidify their place in the NCAA Tournament and the Flyers look to not only take a commanding hold of their conference, but also contend for a possible #1 seed in March.
Outside of these two schools, the rest of the conference is not really a lot to write home about however. VCU (16-6, 6-3 A10) currently lives on the bubble and is 0-3 against Dayton and Rhode Island this season.
Duquesne (16-5, 6-3 A10), Saint Louis (17-5, 6-3 A10), Richmond (16-6, 6-3 A10) and St. Bonaventure (14-8, 6-3 A10) all have quite a bit of work to do in February to get themselves in the bubble conversation – but it is quite unlikely any of these schools are able to overcome the two heavyweights in this conference to claim a regular season championship.
The Flyers have won 11-straight games, with eight of those wins coming by double digits. Dayton is led by 6-9 sophomore forward Obi Toppin, who has averaged 20 points per game with eight rebounds.
However, despite the red-hot start and Top-10 ranking, the Rhode Island Rams are within a half game of first place (17-5, 9-1 A10) and have also won 9-straight games of their own.
Oddsmakers currently have Dayton has the heavy favorites to win the A10 at -125, but Rhode Island they’re not fully sold on just yet. The Rams still offer outstanding value in the Atlantic 10 Conference odds futures market at +800.
Dayton and Rhode Island are on a collision course to meet for A10 supremacy on February 11th in Dayton, where the Rams look to solidify their place in the NCAA Tournament and the Flyers look to not only take a commanding hold of their conference, but also contend for a possible #1 seed in March.
Outside of these two schools, the rest of the conference is not really a lot to write home about however. VCU (16-6, 6-3 A10) currently lives on the bubble and is 0-3 against Dayton and Rhode Island this season.
Duquesne (16-5, 6-3 A10), Saint Louis (17-5, 6-3 A10), Richmond (16-6, 6-3 A10) and St. Bonaventure (14-8, 6-3 A10) all have quite a bit of work to do in February to get themselves in the bubble conversation – but it is quite unlikely any of these schools are able to overcome the two heavyweights in this conference to claim a regular season championship.
The Mountain West is all but decided and the lone question really hanging over the conference is whether or not 4th ranked San Diego State (23-0, 12-0 MW) can run the table and grab a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Aztecs are currently enjoying their best season in school history thanks to a balanced attack with Wooden Award candidate Malachi Flynn (16.5 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.7 rpg) leading the way.
With the toughest road games out of the Aztecs way, the path to a 29-0 record before the Mountain West Conference Tournament begins seems much more realistic than anyone chasing San Diego State down.
The Aztecs are currently enjoying their best season in school history thanks to a balanced attack with Wooden Award candidate Malachi Flynn (16.5 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.7 rpg) leading the way.
With the toughest road games out of the Aztecs way, the path to a 29-0 record before the Mountain West Conference Tournament begins seems much more realistic than anyone chasing San Diego State down.
The surest things in life may be death, taxes and Gonzaga (23-1, 9-0 WCC) dominating the West Coast Conference.
The No. 2 team in the land continues to use their conference as a two-month tune up for the NCAA Tournament as they have now won 15-straight games since falling to Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Black Friday.
The Bulldogs survived a scare and a six-man rotation against San Francisco last Saturday when they rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to win 83-79 and this week they host Loyola Marymount (Feb. 6) before rekindling their conference rivalry with St. Mary’s on Saturday (Feb. 8).
In terms of West Coast conference futures, Gonzaga is listed as the heavy favorite to win their 8th consecutive regular season championship at -335.
If you’re looking to make a futures bet on the Zags, it’s probably better value to bet on them reaching the Final Four where they are currently listed at +100 to do so, or to win the National Championship outright at +800.
The No. 2 team in the land continues to use their conference as a two-month tune up for the NCAA Tournament as they have now won 15-straight games since falling to Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Black Friday.
The Bulldogs survived a scare and a six-man rotation against San Francisco last Saturday when they rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to win 83-79 and this week they host Loyola Marymount (Feb. 6) before rekindling their conference rivalry with St. Mary’s on Saturday (Feb. 8).
In terms of West Coast conference futures, Gonzaga is listed as the heavy favorite to win their 8th consecutive regular season championship at -335.
If you’re looking to make a futures bet on the Zags, it’s probably better value to bet on them reaching the Final Four where they are currently listed at +100 to do so, or to win the National Championship outright at +800.
While you will be hard pressed to find any futures odds on these conferences, in terms of February betting you will want to keep a strong eye on several mid-majors from across the country.
The teams of note entering this week are:
Yale (16-4, 4-0 Ivy) – If the Bulldogs are to win the Ivy League and get into the NCAA Tournament, look out. Yale is one of the most efficient teams in the country, ranking 20th overall in the country from 3-point range with the 6th best defensive ranking in all of college basketball. They’ve also been very profitable from a gambling perspective, going 14-4 ATS this season.
Northern Iowa (19-3, 8-2 MVC) – Northern Iowa had a couple of average seasons in recent years but have returned to prominence in the Missouri Valley Conference in a big way this year, racing out to first-place in the conference at 8-2 entering this week’s play. Ben Jacobson’s Panthers boast one of the best offenses in the entire country as they have the 4th best shooting percentage and are the 6th best team in the country from deep.
We’ve already seen a Missouri Valley Conference school make a deep run into the Final Four when Loyola Chicago did it in 2018, but do not be surprised if the Panthers make a run of their own in the 2020 NCAA Tournament should they crash the party. Like Yale, NIU has also been exceptional against the spread this year, going 13-6-1 ATS entering this week’s play
St. Mary’s (CA) (19-5, 6-3 WCC) – Despite having three losses in conference play, Randy Bennett has his St. Mary’s Gaels squad in a familiar position entering February basketball. While Gonzaga has completely dominated the West Coast Conference since Bill Clinton was in office, the Gaels are quietly piecing together another solid season and could at least give Gonzaga a good enough scare to possibly steal a bid away from a Power 5 team on the bubble. They still have a lot of work to do though to make their case to get in the dance.
East Tennessee State (19-4, 8-2 SoCon) – In recent seasons, the Southern Conference has produced some of the best mid-major teams in the country. East Tennessee State has been a very solid team all season, going 19-4 to start the year with a win over LSU in December included. The SoCon will likely be a one-bid league and that will be decided with the conference tournament in early March, but in the mean time do not look past Steve Forbes’ Buccaneers as a good team to ride over the next six weeks.
Furman (18-5, 8-2 SoCon) – If ETSU is 1A in the SoCon, Furman is a very close 1B. Last season, Furman was actually ranked in the Top 25 for a few weeks before eventually losing the conference crown to Wofford. This season the Paladins are currently in a tie with ETSU for first place in the conference, though they hold the tie-breaker over the Buccaneers due to a 65-56 win over their conference foe on January 4th.
Furman is ranked as the 3rd best team in the country shooting the ball from two-point range and boasts a Top 15 ranking in overall field goal percentage. Sprinkle that with the fact they gave Auburn all they can handle in early December and you have the recipe for a team that is very dangerous should they win the competitive Southern Conference.
Liberty (21-3, 7-2 ASun) – The Flames opened the season with a 19-1 record before stumbling in back-to-back road conference games against North Florida and Stetson. While the quality of the Atlantic Sun conference is mostly poor, Liberty could be a very dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament if they are able to avoid the upset in their conference tournament.
Stephen F. Austin (19-3, 10-1 Southland) – “Stone Cold” Stephen F. Austin shocked the college basketball universe right before Thanksgiving when they went to Cameron Indoor Stadium and beat the Duke Blue Devils as 27.5 point underdogs. Since that point, SFA has only lost twice (at Alabama, vs. Texas A&M Corpus-Christi) and is far and away the class of the Southland Conference. This is a team that no Top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament will want any part of, particularly because of their 3-point shooting (16th overall NCAA) and penchant to get to the free throw line (13th most FT attempts in college basketball). They’re a team deserving of your attention over the next six weeks
The teams of note entering this week are:
Yale (16-4, 4-0 Ivy) – If the Bulldogs are to win the Ivy League and get into the NCAA Tournament, look out. Yale is one of the most efficient teams in the country, ranking 20th overall in the country from 3-point range with the 6th best defensive ranking in all of college basketball. They’ve also been very profitable from a gambling perspective, going 14-4 ATS this season.
Northern Iowa (19-3, 8-2 MVC) – Northern Iowa had a couple of average seasons in recent years but have returned to prominence in the Missouri Valley Conference in a big way this year, racing out to first-place in the conference at 8-2 entering this week’s play. Ben Jacobson’s Panthers boast one of the best offenses in the entire country as they have the 4th best shooting percentage and are the 6th best team in the country from deep.
We’ve already seen a Missouri Valley Conference school make a deep run into the Final Four when Loyola Chicago did it in 2018, but do not be surprised if the Panthers make a run of their own in the 2020 NCAA Tournament should they crash the party. Like Yale, NIU has also been exceptional against the spread this year, going 13-6-1 ATS entering this week’s play
St. Mary’s (CA) (19-5, 6-3 WCC) – Despite having three losses in conference play, Randy Bennett has his St. Mary’s Gaels squad in a familiar position entering February basketball. While Gonzaga has completely dominated the West Coast Conference since Bill Clinton was in office, the Gaels are quietly piecing together another solid season and could at least give Gonzaga a good enough scare to possibly steal a bid away from a Power 5 team on the bubble. They still have a lot of work to do though to make their case to get in the dance.
East Tennessee State (19-4, 8-2 SoCon) – In recent seasons, the Southern Conference has produced some of the best mid-major teams in the country. East Tennessee State has been a very solid team all season, going 19-4 to start the year with a win over LSU in December included. The SoCon will likely be a one-bid league and that will be decided with the conference tournament in early March, but in the mean time do not look past Steve Forbes’ Buccaneers as a good team to ride over the next six weeks.
Furman (18-5, 8-2 SoCon) – If ETSU is 1A in the SoCon, Furman is a very close 1B. Last season, Furman was actually ranked in the Top 25 for a few weeks before eventually losing the conference crown to Wofford. This season the Paladins are currently in a tie with ETSU for first place in the conference, though they hold the tie-breaker over the Buccaneers due to a 65-56 win over their conference foe on January 4th.
Furman is ranked as the 3rd best team in the country shooting the ball from two-point range and boasts a Top 15 ranking in overall field goal percentage. Sprinkle that with the fact they gave Auburn all they can handle in early December and you have the recipe for a team that is very dangerous should they win the competitive Southern Conference.
Liberty (21-3, 7-2 ASun) – The Flames opened the season with a 19-1 record before stumbling in back-to-back road conference games against North Florida and Stetson. While the quality of the Atlantic Sun conference is mostly poor, Liberty could be a very dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament if they are able to avoid the upset in their conference tournament.
Stephen F. Austin (19-3, 10-1 Southland) – “Stone Cold” Stephen F. Austin shocked the college basketball universe right before Thanksgiving when they went to Cameron Indoor Stadium and beat the Duke Blue Devils as 27.5 point underdogs. Since that point, SFA has only lost twice (at Alabama, vs. Texas A&M Corpus-Christi) and is far and away the class of the Southland Conference. This is a team that no Top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament will want any part of, particularly because of their 3-point shooting (16th overall NCAA) and penchant to get to the free throw line (13th most FT attempts in college basketball). They’re a team deserving of your attention over the next six weeks
