Most of the March
Madness betting talk so far this season has surrounded the Big East and ACC,
but online sports betting players
shouldn’t forget that the reigning national champions, Kansas, come from the
Big 12. The Big 12 has a number of Tournament-caliber teams, and at least one
that is a sportsbook
favorite for the Final Four.
Oklahoma
The Sooners have NCAA
basketball odds of +800 to win the national championship, and that rests
squarely on the shoulders of junior forward Blake Griffin, who most experts
think will go No.1 in the draft if he declares. However, a late-season
concussion sidelined Griffin, and the Sooners lost crucial games to Texas and
Kansas. Outside of freshman guard Willie Warren and junior guard Tony Crocker,
there isn’t much scoring on the Sooners. Losing Griffin’s 20-10 threat would be
a huge blow to Oklahoma.
Missouri
The Tigers are a lock to reach the NCAA Tournament for
the first time since 2003, but they are college
basketball betting underdogs at +3000 to win it all. Missouri loves to run,
scoring over 82 points a game, and they are also decent defensively. Senior
forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons are one of the most potent duos in the
country, while junior guards Zaire Taylor and J.T. Tiller take very good care
of the ball, as Missouri ranks in the top five nationally in terms of turnover
margin. The Tigers have the talent to go deep into March, but they’ll have to
tighten up on defense to have a legitimate shot at the title.
Kansas
The Jayhawks are very young, as there are 11 freshmen
or sophomores on the roster. Junior guard Sherron Collins has become a huge
scoring threat, while soph center Cole Aldrich has blossomed into one of the
country’s top big men. The Jayhawks are strong on the boards, and they shoot a
high percentage from the floor for such a young team. However, it’s rare that
schools can repeat as national champions, although Florida won back-to-back
titles before the Jayhawks stopped their run last year. Kansas is talented, but
their inexperience could hurt them in the Tournament. Still, with March Madness odds of +4000, the Jayhawks
are a great value pick.
Texas
The Longhorns are one of those teams no one talks
about, but Texas can claim wins over UCLA and Villanova among their
non-conference wins, along with a one-point loss to Notre Dame. When senior
guard A.J. Abrams gets hot, he can shoot the three-pointer with anyone in the
country, while junior forward Damion James can play three positions on the
floor. But the Longhorns have problems when these two, particularly Abrams, is
off their game, and secondary scoring may be a problem in March. Texas is a
+4000 March Madness betting longshot,
and probably won’t make it past the second round.
Kansas
State/Oklahoma State
These two meet at OSU on March 3rd, and the
winner will have the inside track on an at-large bid in the Tournament. The
Wildcats are tough on the boards, and they are solid at both ends of the floor,
but they give up a lot of fouls and aren’t that good from the charity stripe.
The Cowboys tend to fall in love with the three-point shot, but they make their
share of them, ranking in the top five in the country. However, they are
downright awful defensively, and the Tournament tends to slow things down. March Madness betting isn’t giving these
schools any chance whatsoever with odds of +25000, but you can bet their
showdown on March 3rd will be exciting.