2018 Low Profile College Basketball Championship Contenders

2018 Low Profile College Basketball Championship Contenders

Written by on February 16, 2018

When a team suddenly starts to go into a bit of a skid towards the end of the regular season, bettors tend to have a habit of getting off the bandwagon while the going is good. NCAA Basketball is about to get into the last couple of weeks of the regular season, with a few teams seeing their stock falling as we head into the homestretch. While things may look a little bleak right now for a few teams, hope springs eternal when the road to the College Basketball Championship begins in earnest. We are going to take a closer look at a few teams who you might be able to get at a very good price at the latest NCAAB odds ahead of March Madness.

2018 Low Profile College Basketball Championship Contenders

Purdue Boilermakers

After spending a good amount of time in the #3 spot in the nation, Purdue has, for want of a better term, gone off the boil. Purdue dropped from 3 to 6 last week after back to back losses before losing their 3rd straight earlier this week. They have one more chance to right the ship before the week comes to a close but have another tough one against a surging Penn State. The offense has failed to ignite in the 3 recent losses, but you get the feeling that they are too good to continue to struggle. Look for the Boilermakers to get their mojo back before the tournament begins.

Team Statistics

  • Average Score For: 81.43
  • Offensive rebounds: 8.57
  • Offensive Field Goal Percentage: 49.32
  • Average Score Against: 64.04
  • Defensive rebounds: 27.11
  • Defensive Field Goal Percentage: 40.12

Kansas Jayhawks

After going just 4-3 in their last 7 games, the Jayhawks have dropped all the way down to the #13 spot at the NCAA Basketball Rankings. This is a team with tournament pedigree, though, and you need to look at more than just their overall record this season, which is still solid, by the way. Kansas is up among the leaders in quadrant 1 and 2 wins, which means they know how to compete against the big boys. This is a team that appears to be built for a deep playoff run, so don’t let those recent losses put you off.

Team Statistics

  • Average Score For: 81.77
  • Offensive rebounds: 9.73
  • Offensive Field Goal Percentage: 48.91
  • Average Score Against: 70.77
  • Defensive rebounds: 26.00
  • Defensive Field Goal Percentage: 41.65

Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats put together a solid showing last season despite having an incredibly young squad. The feeling was that with a year of experience under their belt, this group would come out and excel this season. Arizona has not reached the levels that we all expected, but perhaps that is on us rather than them. Arizona is one of the low profile College Basketball Championship Contenders. This is still a 20-win team that also just happens to have the best record in the PAC 12. The Wildcats can put up points with the best of them, and while their defensive play is iffy at times, they still have what it takes to make some noise in March Madness.

Team Statistics

  • Average Score For: 81.67
  • Offensive rebounds: 9.81
  • Offensive Field Goal Percentage: 51.10
  • Average Score Against: 71.89
  • Defensive rebounds: 26.33
  • Defensive Field Goal Percentage: 43.57

North Carolina Tar Heels

It may seem odd to have the defending National Champions on this list, but with 7 losses on the season, a lot of people have already written them off. They appear to be peaking at just the right time, as they are on a 4-game win streak that includes a huge victory over their bitter rivals, the Duke Blue Devils. They have 3 very winnable games ahead of them before ending the regular season with another game against Duke. If they can win out over the next two weeks, that momentum may just carry over into the tournament.

Team Statistics

  • Average Score For: 83.30
  • Offensive rebounds: 13.93
  • Offensive Field Goal Percentage: 46.69
  • Average Score Against: 73.33
  • Defensive rebounds: 29.33
  • Defensive Field Goal Percentage: 42.20