Welcome back to my weekly rankings and betting advice article. At this time next week, we will have a bracket, and that is truly a cause to celebrate. As we grow closer and closer to the tournament, I will be here to provide the necessary weekly updates on teams trending up and down and what future values are offered as a result. I will also be covering any important storylines along with a Cinderella watch. Be sure to check out my latest bracketology article, and be on the lookout for a new one this week. You can always find the latest betting odds and power rankings here.
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Quick Hits
- Go Pokes!: Oklahoma State has been roaring up the rankings after winning six of their last seven games, with Baylor accounting for the only loss during that stretch. Their most impressive win was on the road at West Virginia. It was impressive on its own, but when you account for the fact that Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele both missed the game, it just shows how talented this squad is. The Cowboys are hitting their stride at the perfect time and still have plenty of opportunities to improve their seeding.
- Conference Tournament Madness: Sometimes, the conference tournaments leading up to March Madness are just as exciting as the actual tournament, and the mid-major ones have reached expectations so far. Seven different respective one seeds, including UMBC (American East), James Madison (CAA), Wagner (NEC), Belmont (OVC), Navy (Patriot), South Dakota State (Summit), and Georgia State (Sun Belt), fell in their conference tournaments. This means that the 13-16 seeds won't be as strong, and I won't be expecting any surprising 13 or higher seed first-round upsets this year. The best Cinderella options who gained auto-bids so far are Liberty, Winthrop, and UNC Greensboro.
Trending Up
- Oklahoma State (+5500 on FaDuel): If this price is available on FanDuel by the time this article posts, I would jump on it right away. At some books, like BetRivers, Oklahoma state is currently +1300 to win the National Championship, so +5500 is an incredible value.
- Connecticut (+6600 on bet365): With James Bouknight healthy, UConn is a completely different team. They have won four straight games, and with Villanova's injury issues and Creighton not having their head coach, the Huskies are favorites to win the Big East tournament. Their defense is solid, and if they can take down the Big East crown, they could see a serious seeding bump before Selection Sunday.
- Gonzaga (+300 on BetMGM): It's kind of hard to say that Gonzaga's stock can go any higher, but if you want to bet on this team, now is going to be the best price you will be able to get for the rest of the year. After their drubbing of Saint Mary's and handling BYU to win the WCC tournament, I seriously struggle to find any weakness that can slow down this Bulldog basketball team.
Trending Down
- Oklahoma (+3500 on BetMGM): After their stock soared in February, it has come crashing down with four-straight losses, including to Kansas State, which is ranked 183rd in KenPom. They have a chance to prove themselves in the Big 12 tournament, but they cannot lose to Iowa State today if they want to earn better than a six seed.
- Xavier (+12000 on FanDuel): One of the tougher teams to figure out this season, Xavier has lost their last two games to Georgetown and Marquette, leading into the Big East tournament. They are right on the bubble, so a loss to Butler today could very well be what keeps them out.
Analytical Corner
With conference tournaments going on, I'm not going to a Cinderella Watch this week, as I will simply wait to see which teams actually make the tournament and do a deeper dive then. However, I will be providing some advanced options to look at if you want a bit of an edge in your bracket handicapping. Last year, I wrote about solid websites to use for filling out your bracket, which you can find here. KenPom is great, but there is a lot more information and plenty of angles out there that can help you fill out your bracket. Beyond websites, there are fantastic Twitter accounts to follow as well, and I have included my favorite below.
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Ryan Coleman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Ryan, check out his archive.