By Larry Rupp
It’s that time of the year again. The college basketball conference season is officially underway and not every single preseason favorite can take home the title. Each conference across the nation features a few teams that continue to fly under the radar. These are squads that could make a legitimate run at a conference championship, yet no one is talking about them.
With that being said, let’s take a look at some underrated conference outright bets to make, with all odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Colorado State to Win Mountain West (+140)
Bettors tend to avoid placing wagers on conferences that do not garner much national media attention. However, looking at Colorado State to win the Mountain West conference is not a bad idea. This is a team that returns all five of its starters from a 20-win team last season, including junior guard David Roddy. Roddy has posted at least 28 points and 9 rebounds in two of his first four games this season.
The Rams rank among the top teams in the county in effective field-goal rate as well as defensive block rate. That proves they are capable of getting the job done on both ends of the court. Jumping on the bandwagon now is smart because this number won’t be around for long. Colorado State could soon leap San Diego State as the favorite to hoist the conference title.
Finished a three-game homestand with all wins, including this sick Eurostep move from @riv_isaiah ! Thanks again to #RamNation for being there!#TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/mREnxaSno6
— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) November 15, 2021
Alabama to Win SEC (+340)
It’s been a long time since the Southeastern Conference was this wide open heading into a college basketball season. There are seven teams with odds set at less than +1000 to be the last one standing, which by far is the most of any NCAA conference. This is a tough one to judge, but Alabama has a lot of value at +340 simply due to experience.
Don’t forget this Crimson Tide team took UCLA to overtime in the Sweet 16 before eventually falling last season. They boast one of the best backcourts in America with Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford, two players that averaged 12-plus points per game last season. Coach Nate Oats has shown that he can get the best out of his players and that could be enough to topple Kentucky at the end of the year.
Freak puts an exclamation point on a 10-0 second half run‼️ 😤@BigFreakk2 #RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/mL8vgoHJdu
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 17, 2021
Baylor to win Big 12 (+180)
It’s surprising to see the reigning champs have odds this low to win the Big 12 conference. Yes, the Bears lost a couple of experienced leaders in Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler, but coach Scott Drew does have sharpshooter Matthew Mayer back for another year and a five-star recruit in Kendall Brown. Simply put, there is no shortage of talent on this roster.
The Bears’ one big obstacle is overtaking the mighty Kansas Jayhawks, but they proved last spring that they can never be counted out. If Baylor can figure out how to once again become a force on defense, it has the pieces in place to compete. That’s about all you can ask for when placing a wager with +180 odds. It’s worth a shot.
🗣️ 𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔𝘽𝙊𝘿𝙔 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙐𝙋 𝙄𝙏'𝙎 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙈 𝙉𝙊𝙒#SicEm | #CultureofJOY 🏀 | #SCTop10 | @TheeKbrown pic.twitter.com/xxcdvUuS5q
— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) November 13, 2021
Picture Credit: Wikimedia
