It’s a big week upcoming for college basketball betting enthusiasts and fans in general, as we are now just days away from the tip-off in the 2017-18 season. This is the time of the year when hope springs eternal for every team, but as we all know, there can be only one winner, unless of course your goal is just to see some action in March Madness.
With so many teams to choose from, it can be tough to narrow down who will do what until the games begin, but we can look ahead and try to break things down a little so that your selections are a bit easier. Let’s take a quick look at the latest NCAAB odds and some of our early predictions, whilst also making a prediction for the tournament winner.
Virginia has been in the top 10 in defensive stats in 5 of the last 6 seasons, which suggests that we should expect more of the same from them this season. Georgia Tech looks as though they may have a very solid defensive unit, while UCF and Cincinnati are also in the defensive mix. There is the belief in every sport that it is the defense that wins championships, and if that is indeed the case, then you need to be looking at these 5 teams as being capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
College Basketball Betting Predictions for 2017-18 Season
✅ Exhibition season
Next up: 9 games in 20 days. #HereComesDuke 🐐🔵😈 pic.twitter.com/O0hhxFgTH8 — Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) 4 de noviembre de 2017
Best offensive teams in College Basketball
Teams that can rack up points are always going to be in with a shot at having a good season, especially if they have a good defense that can even partially match that offensive prowess. Duke is a perennial powerhouse in college basketball, and it looks as though Coach K has another strong batch of players to work with this season. Look for Grayson Allen to lead an offense that should be among the best in the nation. One team to watch out for this season is Arizona, as they look like a group that is going to be able to light things up offensively. Allonzo Trier should be the man doing the damage for this group, while Jolen Brunson will be doing his thing to power the Villanova offense. Two other teams that look as though they may be very good on the offensive side of the game are Michigan State and Notre Dame. If you think that the championship winner will be an offensively minded team, these are 5 well worth looking at.Last Season Top 10 (Points)
- Marshall: 2997
- UCLA: 2982
- The Citadel: 2964
- Kentucky: 2922
- UNC Wilmington: 2896
- North Carolina: 2887
- Central Michigan: 2826
- Troy: 2824
- Duke: 2823
- Lipscomb: 2804
Best Defensive teams in College Basketball
We already mentioned Michigan State as a team that will likely be very good on offense, but we also like them to be among the best on the defensive side of the game. That should create a balance that is going to make them very tough to beat this season. Teams are very often one way or another but when you can strike a great balance between offense and defense, you tend to be among the very best that the sport has to offer.
Virginia has been in the top 10 in defensive stats in 5 of the last 6 seasons, which suggests that we should expect more of the same from them this season. Georgia Tech looks as though they may have a very solid defensive unit, while UCF and Cincinnati are also in the defensive mix. There is the belief in every sport that it is the defense that wins championships, and if that is indeed the case, then you need to be looking at these 5 teams as being capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
Last Season Top 10 (Steals)
- West Virginia: 353
- Portland St: 307
- Fordham: 315
- Eastern Michigan: 317
- Holy Cross: 302
- UNC Asheville: 300
- The Citadel: 306
- Texas A&M-CC: 280
- Grambling: 292
- Gardner-Webb: 291
Final 2017-18 College Basketball Betting Prediction
Given what the Duke Blue Devils are once again bringing to the table, it is tough to look beyond them as your potential NCAAB champion, but that is exactly what we are going to do here. Arizona was a very young group of players last season, but they still ended up having a fantastic season. They are one year older and wiser, and I think they can make a serious run at the championship. Arizona is my early season pick to win it all.College Basketball Betting Odds to Win (Top Contenders)
- Duke: +330
- Arizona: +650
- Kentucky: +650
- Michigan State: +650
- Kansas: +1200
- North Carolina: +1500
- Louisville: +1600
- Missouri: +1600
- Wichita State: +2500
- West Virginia: +3000
