NCAAB 2024 Reset: Betting Lines Still Favor Purdue

With every matchup, every buzzer-beater, the NCAAM Final Four picture shimmers, and the March Madness odds dance – will Purdue hold their nerve and translate potential into glory? Only time will tell, but one thing’s certain: the road to the final dance promises to be thrilling.

Minnesota has the best record against the college basketball odds, going 12-1 against the spread. Among the top title contenders, Arizona leads the way with a 10-3 record.

Houston, Ole Miss, and James Madison are the only undefeated men’s Division I teams entering 2024. Detroit Mercy and Mississippi Valley State are the only winless teams.

Can Purdue Handle the Pressure?

When 7-foot-4 All-American Zach Edey decided to return for another season at Purdue, the Boilermakers immediately became one of the teams to beat according to our sportsbook.

However, the Boilermakers haven’t been to the Final Four since 1980 and the last time Purdue advanced to the regionals was 2019.

With the exception of Brandon Newman transferring to Western Kentucky, it is pretty much the same supporting cast around Edey.

A talented sophomore class is looking for some consistency.

Fletcher Loyer has had back-to-back games with at least 10 points just twice this season. Braden Smith is averaging more rebounds, assists, and steals per game than he did as a freshman. However, he went from having 53 points in a two-game stretch to scoring two and seven points in the next two games.

What About the Defending Champions?

Having 7-foot-2 sophomore Donovan Clingan being sidelined for multiple weeks is not ideal for defending national champion UConn.

The Huskies were exposed a bit in a road loss to Seton Hall with Clingan playing in that game.

The good news is that UConn doesn’t play a ranked team until Providence comes to town on Jan. 31. The bad news is that there are some very dangerous Big East teams that are not ranked at the current time.

It will be interesting to see how the Huskies handle road games against Butler, Xavier, and Villanova.

UConn stumbled a few times during the regular season in 2022-23, but when it mattered, the Huskies were playing their best basketball.

Conference Bragging Rights

The rich got richer when Houston and BYU were among the teams joining the Big 12.

The Big 12 was already perhaps the best men’s basketball conference in the nation. With No. 3 Houston and No.12. BYU joining recent national champions Kansas and Baylor, there are six Big 12 teams in the top 20 in the most recent Associated Press poll.

West Virginia is the only Big 12 team with a losing record. There are 10 teams in the Big 12 still undefeated at home.

With No. 4 UConn and No. 7 Marquette leading the way, don’t overlook the Big East. Providence is the only Big East team to be ranked but that could easily change.

Michigan is not only the lone Big Ten team with a losing record but also the only team from that conference to head into 2024 on a losing streak.

The recent rape charge against Illinois star Terrance Shannon Jr. is the biggest news to come out of the Big Ten, as the top scorer for the No. 9 Illini has been suspended from the team.

Illinois star F Terrance Shannon has been suspended due to be charged with rape. Will Shannon ever touch the court again? pic.twitter.com/5YeAoJBcK7

— Sidelines – Big Ten (@SSN_B1G) December 28, 2023

Wisconsin joins Purdue and Illinois as the only other ranked team in the Big Ten.

The ACC bears little resemblance to the conference that once ruled the college basketball world.

Arizona is the only ranked team in the Pac-12. The Wildcats hardly looked like a title contender on the final day of 2023 when they lost 100-82 to unranked Stanford.

Tennessee and Kentucky are both in the top 10 in the national polls but there are concerns about the depth in the SEC this season.

Take A Look At These Other 2 NCAAB Special Articles

• Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Preview: Arizona, USC Top Choices
• March Madness Betting: Memphis, JMU Among Early Sleepers

What’s Next?

Things got interesting late in 2023 with Florida Atlantic losing at Florida Gulf Coast as well as the aforementioned Arizona loss.

The non-conference portion of the schedules has ended for most teams so that raises the possibility of the top teams being upset.

The next matchup between ranked teams is on Friday when Illinois plays at Purdue.

A Look At the Player of the Year Candidates

Purdue’s Zach Edey came into the season with the best odds of +175 to be the National Player of the Year.

He has done little to hurt his chances as Edey is averaging 23.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocked shots per game.

Duke’s Kyle Filipowski (+800 in the Player of the Year odds) is filling up the stat sheet with 18 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

Hunter Dickinson of Kansas had +900 odds to win the Wooden Award at the start of the season after his high-profile transfer from Michigan. Dickinson seems to be fitting in pretty well. He is putting up 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.

Michigan State’s Tyson Waker and Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht are among the players making moves in the Player of the Year odds.

College basketball lines are heating up. Bet on March Madness and see if you can be the champion!

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