Take a Flyer on Dayton in March Madness Odds
It is never too early to start looking at potential Cinderellas for your NCAAB predictions with about one month to go before March Madness begins. Let’s take a look at some of the top teams outside of the power conferences.
No. 16 Dayton headlines the list with the Flyers jumping two spots in the AP Poll. This despite Dayton’s recent 49-47 (no, not a typo) loss to VCU. The Flyers were able to bounce back with a blowout victory over Duquesne.
Dayton has an opportunity to continue rising up the polls with upcoming matchups against Fordham and George Mason. The Ken Pom computer rankings are not quite as high on Dayton, ranking the Flyers at No. 21.
Roses are red.
DaRon Holmes is tall.
Dayton is the epicenter
of college basketball.💖🥰💖#TheRoadStartsHere #FirstFour pic.twitter.com/jtr6iORcNV
— The Big Hoopla (@DaytonHoopla) February 14, 2024
Bettors have been mostly pleased with Dayton this season as the Flyers are 14-10 against the spread in the NCAA basketball odds. The Flyers have gone over the point total 12 times with the under cashing on 11 occasions.
Dayton is well down in the NCAA Tournament odds at +8000 to win the title at BetUS. The Flyers are a sizable favorite at -120 to win the Atlantic 10. Dayton’s odds to make the Final Four may not be as long as you think at +2000.
Elsewhere, No. 18 Saint Mary’s has had a strong start to February, winning its first three games. St. Mary’s has won 12 in a row and looks to be the class of the West Coast Conference this season.
The Gaels notched a two-point win over an underwhelming Gonzaga squad on Feb. 3. Saint Mary’s is 13-11 ATS in the NCAA basketball lines this season. The under has hit in 13 Gaels matchups, while the over cashed in 12 games. Ken Pom has St. Mary’s inside the top 25 at No. 24.
So, Can Indiana State Be Trusted?
We were all set to do a nice write-up on Indiana State. Then the fightin’ Larry Birds sustained a blowout loss to Illinois State. Indiana State had previously won nine straight games.
After entering the top 25 at No. 23, it will be interesting to see if the Sycamores will be able to keep their spot. We can already see this being a team people fade in the March Madness given its relatively weak schedule.
With Indiana State in the midst of a historic season, Josh Schertz is keeping it simple with his players!
(via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/JDEchcrTNZ
— NABC (@NABC1927) February 15, 2024
The metrics do not favor Indiana State with the team all the way down at No. 46 in Ken Pom. Indiana State has been solid for bettors, going 15-10 ATS this season.
Can FAU Again Be a Final Four Threat?
Florida Atlantic has learned that advancing to the Final Four means your team is not sneaking up on anybody this season. The Owls have been more than respectable at 19-5, but FAU has also been susceptible to upsets.
Florida Atlantic is coming off a three-point loss at UAB. FAU will be sizable favorites in the college basketball odds against Temple, South Florida and SMU.
The Owls will then get a matchup against Penny Hardaway’s Memphis on Feb. 25. The Tigers are not quite the juggernaut we expected when the season started, but it will still be a good test for FAU with March Madness nearing.
Utah State Looks to Re-Enter Top 25
We had been singing the praises of the Mountain West Conference and it feels like yesterday when the conference boasted three teams inside the AP Poll. Now, no WCC team finds itself inside the rankings.
Utah State received 160 votes, the most of any team to not make the rankings. The Aggies dropped out of the top 25 after stumbling to back-to-back losses to San Diego State and Nevada.
Utah State has been respectable at the window, going 12-9-2 against the spread in the NCAA Basketball odds. The Aggies have been trending towards the over in the point total. Utah State has hit the over in 14 games compared to the eight times the under has cashed.
How bout them Aggies🤘
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 15, 2024
The Aggies get two major tests with back-to-back games against Colorado State followed by a rematch against San Diego State.
Questions of the Day
Who is the top-ranked non-power conference team in college basketball?
The No. 16 Dayton Flyers are the top ranked team from a non-power conference.
Who is a sleeper college basketball team to watch in the NCAA odds?
Dayton has been solid against the spread, going 14-10 this season.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
