CBB Futures Betting Preview
And. Here. We. Go.
First of all, that picture is 17 years old but I still had to make it the cover photo for this article because it’s that fire. Illini basketball is BACK and that brings me back to 7/8-year-old Blakey Locks watching these Illini teams in awe. Dee Brown is one of the first college basketball players I remember watching as a kid and thinking he was the coolest person on the planet so I always will have a soft spot for Illini hoops. This was obviously a major teaser for where this piece is going, but I wanted to release all of my official CBB futures here.
Odds according to these NCAAB futures
The Favorites
Gonzaga +600 — The odds are dogshit here but I think Gonzaga is really that good. They are by far the most talented team in the country in my opinion and I’m not going to be watching from the sidelines when this team has confetti rain down on them.
Illinois +1300 — Kofi Cockburn is one of the best players in the country and this Illini team is coming back determined after a great season that got cut short last year due to March Madness being canceled. Illinois has been to the Final Four twice in program history — 1989 and 2005. How many years separate those two runs? 16 years. How many years has it been since that last appearance? 16 years. 2021 Final Four run is very much in the cards.
The Contenders
Arizona State +3500 — This is a Bobby Hurley bet. If anyone can get their guys ready day in and day out during this bizarre season it’s Bobby. Remy Martin is a monster who returns and the Sun Devils added a 5-star recruit in Josh Christopher and the brother of Marvin Bagley as two freshmen who should be instant impact guys.
UConn +4000 — The Huskies are back. Another Hurley bet here for the exact same reasons. James Bouknight has major Kemba/Shabazz vibes and could be exactly the type of guard who can carry a team through the tournament. I love the Huskies this season.
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Houston +3000 — Kelvin Sampson has built a really solid program at Houston. He has won at least one tournament game in the last two seasons (with a tournament) and lost super close games to Michigan in the Second Round and Kentucky in the Sweet 16 that easily could have gone the other way. I like Sampson’s squad to go on a run here.
Longshot
St. Louis +10000- This is a team with a ton of experience that is being underappreciated nationally. They are right there with Richmond in the A-10 in my opinion so these odds are great. If they can even make a Sweet 16 run you could hedge this for a lot.
Conference Winners
I bet a few conference winners that I think have value:
Big East - UConn +455
Big 12 - Kansas +177
Big 10 - Illinois +355
ACC - Virginia +245
A-10 - Richmond +190
That’s it for college basketball futures for me! Best of luck!
