Best Bets to Win Each Major Conference Tournament
By Robert Duff in College Basketball
Updated: March 5, 2021 at 11:46 am ESTPublished:
- It’s NCAA men’s basketball conference tournament time in the Power Six conferences
- Which schools will win the tournament championships in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, Pac 12 and Big East?
- All of the odds and the best bet in each conference are listed right here in the story below
It’s conference tournament time in the Power Six. That’s an apt name for this sextet of tourneys. The last 29 NCAA Tournament champions have come from Power Six conferences. These are the teams you should be giving the most consideration to in the National Championship odds.
Where’s the smart money going at conference tourney time within this sextet of muscle-flexing, hardwood-dominating groups? Let’s look at that. Below, all of these six conferences are analyzed to determine the school within each that is the best bet to emerge victorious from the conference tournament.
Down Year For ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference has provided three of the past five March Madness champions. Last year, the ACC sent seven teams to the NCAA tournament.
This year is being looked upon as a down year for this conference. KenPom rates the ACC as only the fifth-best conference in the nation.
2020 ACC Tournament Odds
| School (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Florida State (1) | +175 |
| Duke (4) | +200 |
| Louisville (3) | +350 |
| Virginia (2) | +600 |
| North Carolina (14) | +1000 |
| Clemson (8) | +2500 |
| North Carolina State (5) | +3300 |
| Syracuse (6) | +3300 |
| Notre Dame (7) | +3300 |
| Miami (9) | +6600 |
| Pittsburgh (13) | +10000 |
| Virginia Tech (11) | +10000 |
| Wake Forest (12) | +15000 |
| Boston College (10) | +15000 |
All odds taken March 10th
Still, the top four teams in the ACC all won at least 23 games. In conference play, one game separated champions Florida State (16-4) from the next three teams. Virginia, Duke and Louisville were all 15-5.
Where ACC history is made.
Welcome to Greensboro! #ACCTourney pic.twitter.com/j6hxvhxhoy
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 10, 2020
The best play entering the ACC Tournament is to go with the team that’s playing the best entering the tournament. That would be the Virginia Cavaliers. The defending national champions are 12-1 in their last 13 games.
Pick: Virginia Cavaliers (+600).
Deep Field In Big Ten
There are seven Big Ten schools currently situated in the AP Top 25 rankings.
Forever @MSU_Basketball 💚
Cassius Winston walks off the court at the Breslin Center on Senior Day.pic.twitter.com/O6awJLfE6X
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 8, 2020
Michigan State, Wisconsin and Maryland finished in a three-way tie for the conference title, each with 14-6 records. The top-seeded Badgers are riding an eight-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament. The #2 Spartans have won five in a row.
During regular-season play, Michigan State beat the Badgers by 12 points at home. The Spartans lost by a point at Wisconsin.
2020 Big Ten Tournament Odds
| School (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Michigan State (2) | +275 |
| Maryland (3) | +400 |
| Michigan (9) | +600 |
| Wisconsin (1) | +600 |
| Ohio State (7) | +800 |
| Iowa (5) | +800 |
| Rutgers (8) | +800 |
| Illionois (4) | +1000 |
| Penn State (6) | +1000 |
| Purdue (10) | +2000 |
| Indiana (11) | +4000 |
| Minnesota (12) | +4000 |
| Nebraska (14) | +15000 |
| Northwestern (13) | +15000 |
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo always seems to have his team peaking at tournament time. Spartans guard Cassius Winston is the best player in the Big Ten.
Pick: Michigan State Spartans (+275).
Big 12 is a Big Deal
Two of the top-three teams in the nation are housed in the Big 12 – the #Kansas Jayhawks and the #3 Baylor Bears.
They just went head-to-head on Feb. 22. The Jayhawks beat the Bears 64-61. Kansas avenged a 67-55 Jan. 11 loss to Baylor.
2020 Big 12 Tournament Odds
| School (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas (1) | -125 |
| Baylor (2) | +200 |
| Texas Tech (5) | +600 |
| West Virginia (6) | +800 |
| Oklahoma (3) | +1000 |
| Texas (4) | +2000 |
| TCU (7) | +6600 |
| Oklahoma State (8) | +8000 |
| Kansas State (10) | +12500 |
| Iowa State (9) | +15000 |
That was the only loss suffered by the Jayhawks (17-1) in conference play this season as they won their 15th title in 16 seasons. Kansas is the heavy -125 chalk to win the Big 12 tournament.
Devon Dotson → 𝗗 𝗢 𝗡 ' 𝗧 𝗕 𝗟 𝗜 𝗡 𝗞@d_dotson1 ⚡️ x #KUbball pic.twitter.com/us15fRog1z
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 10, 2020
Center Uboka Azubuike averaged a double-double for the year with 13.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. Guard Devon Dotson averaged 18.2 points per game.
Pick: Kansas Jayhawks (-125).
SEC Race Wide Open
Top-seeded Kentucky are the +150 favorites to win the SEC Tournament but like the ACC, this traditional powerhouse conference feels equally up for grabs.
SEC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS!!! KENTUCKY WILDCATS!!!! #BBN @KySportsRadio pic.twitter.com/eATmvBlRuq
— Jonah Wolfe (@Jonah93) February 29, 2020
The #6 Wildcats (15-3) won the regular-season title by three games. Kentucky lost to Auburn, Tennessee and South Carolina. The Wildcats come to the tourney with nine wins in their last 10 games.
Kentucky will be looking for a fifth title in six years. It’s17th-ranked Auburn that is the defending champion. But the Tigers stumbled to the regular-season finish line 3-4.
2020 SEC Tournament Odds
| School (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kentucky (1) | +175 |
| Auburn (2) | +275 |
| Florida (5) | +350 |
| LSU (3) | +550 |
| Mississippi State (4) | +900 |
| Tennessee (8) | +1200 |
| Arkansas (11) | +2200 |
| Alabama (9) | +2500 |
| South Carolina (6) | +3300 |
| Texas A&M (7) | +6600 |
| Georgia (13) | +8000 |
| Ole Miss (12) | +10000 |
| Missouri (10) | +10000 |
| Vanderbilt (14) | +15000 |
A concern for the Wildcats is the status of starting point guard Ashton Hagans. He briefly left the team late in the season for what was termed personal reasons.
Pick: Kentucky Wildcats (+175).
Pac 12 Is Just Ducky
There’s something about Las Vegas that brings out the best in the Oregon Ducks. The Pac 12 tournament moved to Sin City in 2013. Five of seven events since saw Oregon reaching the tourney final.
2020 Pac 12 Tournament Odds
| School (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oregon (1) | +150 |
| Arizona (3) | +275 |
| Colorado (6) | +400 |
| UCLA (2) | +700 |
| Stanford (7) | +1000 |
| USC (4) | +1000 |
| Arizona State (3) | +1200 |
| Washington (12) | +2500 |
| Oregon State (8) | +4000 |
| Utah (9) | +6600 |
| California (10) | +8000 |
| Washington State (11) | +8000 |
The Ducks are favored to do so this year. In 2019, they won the tourney as the six seed.
Could UCLA be this year’s Oregon? The Bruins finished 11-3 and came within a win of taking a share of the regular-season title. The Ducks, though, closed the campaign 6-1.
Pick: Oregon Ducks (+150).
Big East Figures to be Chaotic
Another title that is up for grabs is the Big East Tournament. As many as five Big East teams could play their way into March Madness.
BIG EAST Regular Season Champs for the 6️⃣th time in the last 7️⃣ years!!
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/1K7f2Z1rkN
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) March 7, 2020
Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton all finished 13-5 to tie for the regular-season title. Providence (12-6) was a game back.
2020 Big East Tournament Odds
| School (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Seton Hall (3) | +250 |
| Villanova (2) | +300 |
| Creighton (1) | +350 |
| Butler (5) | +600 |
| Providence (4) | +600 |
| Marquette (6) | +700 |
| Xavier (7) | +800 |
| Georgetown (8) | +3300 |
| DePaul (10) | +5000 |
| St. John’s (9) | +5000 |
The Wildcats have won the last three Big East tourneys, and they like even-numbered years. Villanova won the 2016 and 2018 national titles.
Pick: Villanova Wildcats (+300).
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
