2023 NCAA Tournament: What Conference Will Champion Come From?
The wait is now over. A 2023 NCAA tournament bracket is available, as sports bettors and casual basketball fans rush to fill out their soon-to-be-busted bracket entries.
The enthusiasm surrounding the fact that there is no obvious favorite to cut down the nets is making an already unpredictable event feel even more challenging to forecast. That is just one of the many fascinating storylines for this year’s men’s basketball tournament, with another being it will be the first tournament Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) and Roy Williams aren’t in attendance for the first time in 40 years.
With the tournament up for grabs, let’s dive into the conference I think is most likely to cut down the nets.
- 2023 NCAA Tournament Perfect Bracket: Small Pools
- 2023 NCAA Tournament Perfect Bracket: Medium Pools
- 2023 NCAA Tournament Perfect Bracket: Large Pools
- Sleepers Teams to Monitor
- 2023 NCAA Tournament Top Seeds: Contenders or Pretenders
- NCAA Tournament Survivor Guide For Round 1 (Thursday)
- 2023 NCAA Tournament: Which No. 1 Seed Will Lose First?
- 2023 NCAA Tournament Cinderella Guide
- West Region Teams to Fade
- East Region Teams to Fade
NCAA Tournament: What Conference the Champion Will Come From (2023)
According to the futures market, the BIG 12 has the most teams near the top that have a realistic shot to cut down the nets, as three teams fall inside of 25/1. Here are how each is faring heading into Thursday’s opening tip.
BIG 12
Kansas Jayhawks (+1200 at BetMGM)
The No. 1 seeded Kansas men’s basketball team will start its title defense this week, that much was well-known prior to the official reveal on Sunday. Where the Jayhawks would place in the bracket, on the other hand, was uncertain. As the draw came out, Kansas was shifted to the West, where its regional semifinals and final will be held in Las Vegas, as opposed to the Midwest area, which runs through Kansas City, Missouri, in the third and fourth rounds.
Top-seeded Kansas (27-7) will play No. 16 seed Howard in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines (22-12), before getting the winner of Arkansas/Illinois. While it’s extremely difficult to repeat, according to oddsmakers, the Jayhawks have the best chance in the BIG 12.
Texas Longhorns (+1400 at BetMGM)
After cruising through the BIG 12 tournament including a trouncing of Kansas in the title game, the Longhorns are feeling great coming into this tournament. Many people are unsure of how long the Longhorns will compete under the brightest lights, however, as the program’s reputation has been tarnished by the team’s failure to go past the Sweet 16 in recent seasons. This crew seems to be unique though.
Texas head coach Rodney Terry may have taken over a team that was already great, but it is obvious that he is a skilled leader of young men. Terry has discovered ways to make the final score appear closer than the actual game, even in contests where his team was utterly outplayed.
I like that grit to carry over into March Madness.
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