NCAA Tournament 2024 Sleeper Pick: The Better Buffs

As we move closer to March Madness, now is the time to look ahead and figure out which teams might be valuable to bet on the college basketball futures market.

As always, BetQL will have you covered with every single game throughout the rest of the college basketball season, and we'll have articles just like these to try and find you the best value as the NCAA tournament arrives before you know it.

Let's take a look at a team I think could be a Final Four sleeper in this year's NCAA tournament.

Colorado To Make Final Four (+2500, DraftKings)

Before this college basketball season began, I gave out several future bets that I liked that could pay big dividends when we reached the end of March Madness. One of those was for Colorado to be a surprise NCAA tournament team in 2024, and with the Buffaloes sitting at 15-7 right now on the season, I feel pretty good about their chances. With all of the attention that their football program garnered this past fall, I would argue that their basketball program is in better shape and better hands.

First, I want to point out that this bet is for them to reach the Final Four, not to win the tournament. I think that would be a really tough ask for this team, but I could certainly see them making a Cinderella run and becoming one of the last four teams remaining. They have the talent and coaching to get there, and I think they have proved that so far.

Taking a look at the latest KenPom power rankings board, there is just one team in the entire Pac-12 that is ranked higher than Colorado, and that is the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats. Right now, the Buffs are sixth in the conference with a 6-5 record, trailing teams like Oregon, Washington St., UCLA and Utah in the standings. To me, that immediately signals there is value on Colorado.

The Buffs are a very balanced team, ranking 34th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 40th in defensive efficiency. They are led by guard KJ Simpson, who is putting up some big numbers this season with 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He brings a spark of offense and clutch shooting, the kind of guy you look at as the face of a Cinderella team.

However, he does have help around him as well. Colorado has five players who are averaging double-digit points this year, and that is more than any of the teams that are currently sitting above them in the standings.

Transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr. from TCU is a familiar face that you probably remember from last season, and he plays a big role as a physical presence underneath. He's grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game, leading the team, while also chipping in 10.3 points per contest.

Colorado has lost two straight games as I write this article, and they are taking on Arizona soon. I think they are going to beat the Wildcats outright at home, where they are 12-0 on the season. If they manage to do that, these odds are going to shoot down.

Grab the 25/1 right now while you can on a team that I think is much better than the market perceives.