As the calendar turns a page to March and the college basketball regular season winds down, hoops focus turns to conference tournaments, where teams will jockey for recognition ahead of Selection Sunday and the start of the First Round of March Madness on Thursday March 17.
The race at the top of the standings in the ACC has come down to the wire with the North Carolina wrapping up February perched in first place with a 13-4 conference record, just a slim half-game ahead of the Miami Hurricanes.
But while the Tar Heels have struggled to lock up first place in the standings and top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, they are clear Tournament favorites at sportsbooks available through BettingSports.com, where they own strong 2/1 odds in college basketball futures betting of claiming the tourney crown for an impressive 18th time.
The Hurricanes badly trail on the ACC Tournament odds, sitting at 5/1, back of both the Duke Blue Devils and Virginia Cavaliers.
The defending national champion Blue Devils have endured somewhat of a rollercoaster campaign, winning nine of 10 out of the gate, before struggling through a mediocre 6-5 run that diminished their March Madness odds after they kicked off their campaign as 9/1 favorites.
While Duke bounced back with five straight wins, they finished February with losses in two of their last three games, but have still managed to hang tough as a 4/1 bet to win a record 20th ACC Tournament in college basket betting at sportsbooks available through BettingSports.com.
The Cavaliers also stumbled in the final days of February, losing two of four, heartbreaking losses to Duke and Miami, but remain on North Carolina’s tail at a strong 13/4.
The ACC Tournament is not the online college basketball tournament action with wagering available. BettingSports.com, the premier online destination for March Madness online betting news and insights, connects you to sportsbooks where futures betting is available on every Division I college basketball conference tournament.
In the SEC, the Kentucky Wildcats are strong 8/5 favorites to repeat as Tournament champions, followed by the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7/2, and the Texas A&M Aggies at 4/1, with the South Carolina Gamecocks rounding out the favorites at 6/1.
Over in the Big Ten, the Michigan State Spartans have overcome a mid-season swoon to raise to the top of the tournament odds as 3/2 chalk, followed by the Indiana Hoosiers at 7/2, and the Maryland Terrapins, who sit alongside the Purdue Boilermakers at 5/1.
The Villanova Wildcats lead the way in the Big East, perched as 11/10 favorites, closely followed by the Xavier Musketeers at 5/2, and the Butler Bulldogs at 7/1, despite ending February with a middling 8-8 conference record.
Cincinnati and Connecticut are neck-and-neck on the college future betting odds in the American Athletic Conference.
The Bearcats enter March as slim 7/4 favorites, while the Huskies trail at 37/20, and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane sit at 11/2, ahead of the Houston Cougars at 7/1, and the Temple Owls at 11/2.
Out west, the Arizona Wildcats are the favorites to claim victory in the Pac-12 Tournament, pegged at 2/1, followed by the Oregon Ducks and Utah Utes, who each sport 7/2 odds, and the California Golden Bears, who remain in the hunt at a very respectable 4/1.