With conference play upon us, the favorites to cut down the nets in Indianapolis this March are beginning to separate from the pack. Will the top teams stay on top or is there are dark horse ready to emerge and become a true title contender? Now is the perfect time to find your team with the help of New York online sports betting and follow them on the road to Indianapolis.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is the clear favorite right now after a brilliant start to the season. The Wolverines are perfect on the season, but it was the crushing 101-61 win over Gonzaga that catapulted Coach Dusty May’s team to the top of the list. The team also beat Auburn on a neutral site and dropped over 100 points on conference foes Rutgers and Maryland. Yaxel Lendenborg leads an offense that few teams have had any luck slowing down.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona is one of the few teams that can match Michigan when it comes to quality wins. The Wildcats have already beaten Florida, UCLA, Connecticut, Auburn and Alabama this year. All of those teams were ranked in the top 20 at the time of the game. That is an absolutely brutal slate of games early in the season and Arizona has answered the call each and every time. This is already an experienced and tested team and they will be ready for the Big 12 slate.
Connecticut Huskies
Connecticut lost to Arizona, but it was a good, close game. They have also beaten BYU, Illinois, Kansas and Florida. UConn won back-to-back titles before dropping a bit last season. But Coach Dan Hurley has this group back and ready to win again. Solo Ball has emerged as the team’s top scoring threat and the frontcourt duo of Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban are a tough matchup for any team in the country.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke has relied heavily on superstar freshman Cameron Boozer. He easily leads the team in minutes, points, rebounds and assists. Having a go-to-guy like Boozer is great during the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils have some quality early season victories, including a nice true road victory against Michigan State, but this young group is only going to get better. That should scare the rest of the ACC and the rest of the field of 68 come March.
Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State will be one of the more interesting teams to follow throughout the rest of the season. They had some decent wins over teams like St. John’s, Creighton and Syracuse, but the Cyclones jumped onto the national radar when they went to then #1 Purdue in early December and came away with a dominating 81-58 victory. Is this a group that can remain consistent and compete with Arizona and Houston for a Big 12 title? We will find out, but with an easier start to Big 12 play, it may take a little time to see the true colors of this Iowa State team.
The Rest
Teams like Purdue and Michigan State are not going to hand the Big Ten title over the Wolverines. Houston is back for another go after reaching the national title game a season ago and Gonzaga has dominated every one they have played with the exception of that blowout loss to Michigan. If Coach Mark Few can rectify the problems they had against Michigan, this is a team that has the talent to finally break through and win it all.
