Two Long Shot NCAA Basketball Teams With Value
Scott Morris | November 10, 2016
The NBA has started its regular season and that means that NCAA Basketball is just around the corner. Sportsbooks have continued to update their futures boards and release new odds for the 2016-17 National Champion.
Bettors know all about Duke, Kentucky, UNC and the other heavyweights of college basketball that always are able to recruit the cream of the crop and be legitimate threats to win the national title each season. However, what about the programs that are not as heralded.
Each season a couple of teams, start winning early and carry that through the season into a Cinderella run for the national title. If sports bettors can find those teams early, then they have great value until odds makers start to shorten their odds as they continue winning each week.
Long shots on the futures board are those that are 50 to 1 or higher. Here are a pair of long shots that stand to have strong seasons and have great value.
The UCLA Bruins are currently available at 50 to 1 to win the national title. Both Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton are back for the Bruins a backcourt duo that combined to score nearly 33 points, dish out 8.5 assists and grab 8 rebounds per game last season.
Besides a strong backcourt, the Bruins had a strong recruiting class with three players in the nation’s top 25 recruits.
One of the top recruits in the country is Lonzo Ball a point guard who is an excellent passer and strong defender. If he matures, the threesome in the backcourt for the Bruins could be the best in the country.
The Virginia Tech Hokies are a big long shot at 3000 to 1. Six of the team’s top seven scorers return from last season. Jalen Hudson is the only one absent in the group. Zach LeDay played exceptionally well last season scoring over 15 points and grabbing almost 8 rebounds per game.
Virginia Tech will have Ty Outlaw a JUCO transfer joining the team along with Ahmed Hill returning after he sat out last season with a knee injury.
Top 5 Shortest Odds to win 2016-17 NCAA National Championship
Duke 7 to 2
Kansas 9 to 1
Kentucky 9 to 1
Arizona 14 to 1
Oregon 14 to 1
