College Basketball Longshots
The college basketball longshot market is one of the easiest to bet in sports. The 68 team field gives the better several chances to hedge out of their bet.
Therefore, any longshot that wins a couple games come tournament time is a great opportunity to make money. For instance, if you carry a +6500 ticket on a team in the top half of the ACC, you wait until they make the sweet 16 and continually bet against them until they inevitably lose.
Why Bet Longshots in College Basketball?
Contrary to popular belief, the best team almost always wins the NCAA tournament. Outside of the two UConn runs, one of the best three teams has won each year in recent memory.
Take advantage of the longshots by hedging out them later in the tournament. The key is picking teams that definitively will make the tournament, but the market has yet to catch up with them.
Here are some good picks for long shots in CBB, with odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Seton Hall: n/a
Their odds are unavailable to DraftKings because of New Jersey laws, but Seton Hall is an ideal team to take a future on. The Pirates are loaded in the front court and pose a matchup problem to anyone they face.
Seton Hall does not have the guard play to win a championship, but has the length to win any game in the tournament. There are not many teams in college basketball that can match up with their length in a one game situation. I expect Seton Hall to win a few games in the NCAA tournament.
They are also likely to finish the season a top 15 team as the Big East does not have any great teams outside of Villanova. Seton Hall will stack wins in conference play and drive their future number down throughout the season.
Wherever you can find odds on the Pirates, take it.
Syracuse +6000
Syracuse is the reason this is a viable betting strategy. Under Jim Boeheim, Syracuse seemingly makes a run each year, regardless of how bad they play during the season.
The 2-3 zone is very hard to prepare for in a short turnaround situation, which there are many in the tournament.
Syracuse might be the best three point shooting team in America. Joe Girard, Buddy Boeheim, and Cole Swider are the snipers for the Orange.
Similar to Seton Hall, a down year for the ACC will help Syracuse stack wins in the regular season and make their number go down over time. Now might be the time to grab a future on Syracuse.
No, they will not win the title, but having +6000 on a team with an excellent shot to win multiple games in the NCAA tournament is a great bet.
Mississippi State +13000
My favorite bet of the bunch is the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Mississippi State plays in the loaded SEC and has a chance to pick up countless marquee wins to improve their seeding.
The Bulldogs, led by Iverson Molinar, have the roster to make a deep run in March. At 130/1 it’s hard to pass up on this bet.
Transfers Rocket Watts and Garrison Brooks provide toughness, winning experience, and skill to an already impressive roster. Mississippi State might have the best shot of the three to make the Final Four, and their price is the lowest.
There might be value in waiting to grab the Bulldogs as the team needs time to gel with the influx of transfers, which may lead to some early season struggles. Yet, I see Mississippi State as a factor, not only in the SEC, but nationally come March.
