It's almost bizarre to say that the college basketball season officially gets underway on Monday, November 6.
To celebrate, our Action Network staff has college basketball futures and picks. So, dive in below for our preseason National Championship and conference bets to make before the season tips off.
Texas A&M Aggies
To Win National Title (+5500)
When looking to add a couple of national title futures in the preseason, there are a couple of different things I check for when evaluating various teams.
Do they have key veterans and some level of experience? Is there an elite point guard on the roster? Can they protect the rim and rebound the basketball?
Texas A&M checks all of these boxes.
Aside from Dexter Dennis, the Aggies return their entire rotation from a team that went 15-3 in the SEC a year ago. If not for a weak non-conference strength of schedule and a couple of bad early losses, Texas A&M would’ve been a top four seed in last year’s NCAA tournament.
Now the Aggies bring almost everyone back and you can get Natty odds north of 50/1? Sure, I’ll bite.
Wade Taylor IV is one of the best point guards in the country, and it always feels like he’s so under control running the offense.
The big man trio of Julius Marble, Henry Coleman III and Andersson Garcia all offer a little something different on the inside, and A&M should be set up to be an elite rebounding team once again.
Lastly, when it comes to March and runs in the tournament, coaching becomes huge.
I’ve long been a huge fan of Buzz Williams, who took both Marquette and Virginia Tech to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament and was very close to breaking through to the Final Four.
He can absolutely take that next step in College Station and bring AggieLand its first Final Four in school history. From there, anything can happen.
Jimbo Fisher and company may be struggling, but on the hardwood, Texas A&M is worth a dart at 50/1 or better.
Pick: Texas A&M to Win National Title (+5500)
Creighton Bluejays
To Win National Title (+3300)
Two Sweet 16 appearances in the past three seasons have set the stage for a deep run this March. The Bluejays finished last season 12th in the KenPom rankings and have the starting five to crack the top 10 this season.
The losses of Arthur Kaluma and Ryan Nembhard would usually be too much to overcome for a team that historically built its roster through continuity and player development, but Greg McDermott hit the portal effectively this offseason.
Steven Ashworth is a perfect addition at point guard, blending efficient play with lethal long-range shooting. He knocked down 43% of his 3-point attempts last season at Utah State while averaging 16.2 points per game.
His shooting will force teams to play a pick-your-poison game on a nightly basis thanks to the return of Trey Alexander and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Baylor Scheierman rounds out their big four as a stat-sheet stuffer with significant March Madness experience.
At this price point, I’m building my season-long futures portfolio around CU because it has a legitimate path to a two or three seed coming out of the highly-regarded Big East.
I’ve also come to trust McDermott more and more in the postseason.
If Kalkbrenner can stay healthy all season, I feel as though this team’s floor is a top three finish in the Big East and at least a five seed in the NCAA tournament.
Pick: Creighton to Win National Title (+3300)
Nevada Wolf Pack
To Win Mountain West (+1800)
The Mountain West is expected to put a number of teams in the Big Dance, making this one of the most exciting conferences in the nation. Led by guards Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear, head coach Steve Alford is expected to get the Wolf Pack to the next level after ascending from 13 wins to 22 a season ago.
Knocked out in the First Four last season, both Lucas and Blackshear decided to remain in Reno with a roster that ranks 40th in returning minutes, per Bart Torvik.
Disciplined basketball is the mantra for Alford, as Nevada ranked as the best team in the Mountain West last year in ball security, defensive rebounding and free-throw attempts.
Confidence is sure to be high for this experienced roster after thoroughly beating San Diego State, a team that moved onto the national title game. The Aztecs rank 187th in returning minutes heading into the season, giving every team in the Mountain West a chance.
Both San Jose State and Utah State are expected to slide in the conference standings, giving teams with experienced backcourts the advantage.
That team is Nevada with an excellent price for a group that played in the NCAA tournament this past March.
Pick: Nevada to Win Mountain West (+1800)
Kentucky Wildcats
To Win SEC (+600)
By Kevin Rogers
There’s no clear-cut favorite to capture the SEC crown this season, but Kentucky is still lurking at 6/1 to win its first conference title since 2020.
The Wildcats have finished 12-6, 14-4, 15-3 and 15-3 in four of the last five seasons in SEC play, but have won only one conference championship.
There’s going to be turnover on the Kentucky roster year in and year out, but the Wildcats will showcase fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves – as well as West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell – with the usual mix of freshmen.
The pressure is always immense on head coach John Calipari in Lexington, but the Wildcats don’t have any tough back-to-back games on the SEC schedule.
They host Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas (they also travel to Knoxville and Fayetteville), but there are a handful of teams that can win this league, and taking a flier on Kentucky at 6/1 is one worth grabbing.
Pick: Kentucky to Win SEC (+600)
Arkansas Razorbacks
To Win SEC (+850)
By D.J. James
The SEC is a stacked conference and could very well own the 2024 NCAA champion. However, it seems like everyone is overlooking the Arkansas Razorbacks in comparison to the rest of the conference.
Arkansas returns Davonte Davis, and Trevon Brazile is also back after a season-ending injury early in 2022. Brazile was poised to become a lottery pick in 2023 had he not been injured.
Eric Musselman also added some studs from the transfer portal. Tramon Mark (Houston) and Khalif Battle (Temple) will start and El Ellis (Louisville), Chandler Lawson (Memphis), Keyon Menifield Jr. (Washington) and Jeremiah Davenport (Cincy) are also in the picture.
Baye Fall and Layden Blocker are both 247 top-60 recruits, as well.
This team has depth, which should help in the case of injury.
Adding on, KenPom ranks the Razorbacks in the top 20 in both Adjusted Offensive and Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. Bart Torvik and Haslametrics.com have them in the top 25, as well.
Yes, there's a ton of competition in this conference, but there's not much of a difference from Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama to Arkansas.
With that being the case, taking the Razorbacks at anything better than +650 to win the SEC is a solid preseason bet.
Pick: Arkansas to Win SEC (+850)
Marquette Golden Eagles
To Win Big East (+400)
I wrote the Big East preview here, where the Golden Eagles were discussed as the favorite to win the conference, which they are at most books. In that piece, I mentioned monitoring your sportsbook options for the chance to get one of the three favorites at a price higher than +300.
Not until I did some book shopping later this week did I realize Marquette is currently available at those odds. The Golden Eagles are the clear favorites at nearly every other book, with most listing Marquette’s odds to win the conference at +260 or lower.
There’s clear value here in backing Shaka Smart and the reigning Big East regular season and tourney champs. Four starters are back, including all-conference stud Tyler Kolek.
Creighton and UConn are very talented and may have higher ceilings, but also have much lower floors as they integrate more new pieces.
I’ll take what should be a chalk pick at a non-chalk price.
Pick: Marquette to Win Big East (+400)
Michigan State Spartans
To Win Big Ten (+300)
Purdue and Michigan State come into the season as the class of the Big Ten.
The Boilermakers won both the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament titles last year and return Player of the Year Zach Edey, making them the favorites to win the league.
Meanwhile, the Spartans made a run to the Sweet 16 as a seven seed, upsetting Marquette in the process.
While many across the nation are raving about Edey, I’m ready to pounce on Michigan State to win this conference.
Listen, we all know Edey is a force and the toughest matchup in college basketball, but I’ll take Michigan State’s veteran guards and Tom Izzo over Purdue’s still unproven backcourt and Matt Painter, respectively.
A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker combine to form arguably the best guard duo in America, but it doesn’t stop there for the Spartans.
Jaden Akins is expected to take a leap, Mady Sissoko added muscle and is a senior, and the Spartans have a top-five recruiting class led by Xavier Booker and Coen Carr.
At the price of +300 at DraftKings, I’ll gladly back the Spartans in a conference that’s likely to consist of parity beyond the top two.
Pick: Michigan State to Win Big Ten (+300)
