March Madness Odds: Potential Teams for the Season

While March Madness is now very much on the horizon, there is still a lot of basketball to be played before we get to the start of the tournament. 2024 NCAA Basketball Betting | MyBookie Sportsbook | March Madness Lines and Potential teams that Few are Talking About

That includes a bunch of regular season games, as well as the conference tournaments, all of which could take teams from the bubble and into the bracket. We will, in a separate post, go into more detail about the teams that are currently on the bubble, but for the purposes of this piece, we are looking at 6 teams that could get in and potentially make some noise. Now, we are not suggesting that you should start throwing money at these teams, as there are probably better options, but if you are looking for upsets, this lot might well be worth a look, so let’s get right to it to consider in your NCAAB betting plans.

Auburn Tigers

When looking at the SEC, I was on the fence between Auburn and the South Carolina Gamecocks, but I eventually fell on the side of the Tigers. The thing with this team is that they seem to raise their game against the better teams, going 2-1 versus ranked opponents this season, plus they have shown the ability to put together impressive winning streaks over the course of the year both of which put them in a good place heading into the tournament. They have 4 ranked teams still to come through their final 7 games of the regular season. If they can show up in those outings and impress, they might well see a lot of money going their way in the early part of the tournament, especially if they continue to score at an average of over 82 PPG.

Bet Auburn to Win
MyBookie NCAA Basketball Lines for March Madness

Virginia Cavaliers

It is easy to get lost in the conversation when you play in the same conference as the UNC Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils, but I believe that the Virginia Cavaliers should be mentioned in the same breath as those powerhouses this season. Yes, they are just coming off a loss at the hands of Pitt, but prior to that defeat they were on a run that saw then win 8 in a row, The Pitt loss hurts their chances of winning the ACC regular season crown, but they are still just a game out, so who knows. This is a team that is not offensively gifted, but they play some solid defense, which is always good. They have UNC and Duke still to come this season, so it is possible that they could surge to the top and get people talking about them ahead of the tournament.

Bet Virginia to Win
MyBookie College Basketball Lines for March Madness

Washington State Cougars

The Cougars are 19-6 on the season and within reach of the lead in the PAC-12 Conference, yet nobody is talking about them, plus they are currently sitting outside the top 25, although that might change if they can continue with their current run of form, which has seen them win 5 in a row. They have a pretty decent final stretch of games, with a matchup against Arizona being the only game remaining against a ranked opponent. Win that one and they could potentially win the regular season conference crown. It is their strength of schedule that seems to be hurting them in the eyes of the pundits and the betting public, but this team knows how to win, and they did come out on top in their lone game against a ranked opponent this season.

Bet Washington State to Win
MyBookie NCAA Basketball Lines for March Madness

Creighton Bluejays

This is another situation where you have a team overshadowed by another one within the conference. We all know that the UConn Huskies are the cream of the Big East and are having another great season, but the Bluejays are not that far off the pace. They are 18-7 this season and 9-5 in the Big East, which is good enough to have them sitting in the 3rd spot in the conference. They have stumbled a little of late, going 5-3 in their last 8 games, but the Bluejays have definitely shown an ability to put together winning streaks this year.

Bet Creighton to Win
MyBookie College Basketball Lines for March Madness

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois have had to overcome some issues this season, namely the suspension of their star player, Terrence Shannon Jr., who missed 6 games due to a rape allegation before returning through a court injunction. Through it all, Illinois has continued to win, moving to 18-6 on the season, which has them just 2 games back of Purdue in the Big Ten standings.

Bet Illinois to Win
MyBookie NCAA Basketball Lines for March Madness

Iowa State Cyclones

It might be a little strange to out a conference leader on this list, but despite sitting atop the Big 12, the Iowa State Cyclones are barely in the top 10 in the National Rankings. Houston and Kansas are, at the time of writing, both ahead of the Cyclones in the rankings despite the fact that both are trailing them in the conference standings. They have games against 3 ranked teams still to come this season as they look to improve upon their 3-4 record against teams in the top 25. How they handle those upcoming games will have an impact on where they ultimately land in the bracket. Wherever they land, I think they could still make some noise in the tournament, although winning the whole thing feels like a bridge too far at this point.

Bet Iowa State to Win
MyBookie College Basketball Lines for March Madness