NCAAB Conference Winners: Betting Favorites and Longshots

With conference play in full swing, the college basketball season is heating up as teams battle for supremacy in their respective conferences. Whether you're backing favorites or taking a shot on longshots, finding value in the odds is critical for bettors. From the Big East’s tightly contested race to the SEC’s unpredictability and the defensive dominance in Conference USA, this guide highlights the top contenders and where bettors can find an edge. Let's break down some of the best conference winner bets heading into the second half of the season.

Big East Winner: St. John’s Red Storm (+260, BetMGM)

I’ve been peddling this all season about how I think St. Johns is the best team in the Big East, and as someone who holds a St. Johns 60/1 ticket for them to win the natty, I will back them here to overcome Marquette in the conference. The Golden Eagles are a -125 favorite to win it, so we are getting some value here on the Red Storm, who are second right now.

RJ Luis is one of the most underrated players in the entire country in my opinion for what he has been doing with this team. I know all the attention goes to Kam Jones, and rightfully so for how well he has been playing, but Luis gets slept on in the Big East. He’s averaging 17.5 points per game, and has consistently been the best player on the floor. I think we are just scratching the surface on how good Kadary Richmond can be, and when he starts to really figure this thing out, it is going to be a really difficult back court to deal with for anyone.

At +250, I just feel like there is value here on a team that I don’t see as worse than Marquette at all. If anything, they are right on the same level, and I’ll gladly take the +260 odds at BetMGM for them to claim the Big East.

SEC Winner: Texas A&M Aggies (+5000, BetMGM)
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Here we go again. Maybe I am a clown for this one, but I couldn’t help but place some baby peanuts on the Aggies again. I love their talent, and once they get my guy Wade Taylor back from injury, they are a huge threat to everyone in the SEC for some upsets. They have gone 1-2 in his absence so far, which is understandable since he is their best player and they faced two very good teams in Alabama and Kentucky. Still, they were in those games even without him, and I think at least one of those goes the other way if Taylor plays.

This is a 13-4 team right now that was 12-2 with Wade Taylor playing, and they are ranked No. 11 in the country. Now, that ranking will drop after losing two in a row, but they will be fine. Zhuric Phelps is good enough to carry them to wins over teams like LSU, Texas and some other non-ranked SEC teams, but they will need Taylor to take down the Alabama’s, Tennessee’s, and Auburn’s of the world.

Speaking of Auburn, they are still the favorites with Johni Broome out indefinitely. Should they be without their best player? What happens when they play a close game and they don’t have him? I just think they are way too high in the market, and the SEC is so good and competitive that any of these teams can win it. I’ll take a shot on A&M at 50/1.

Conference USA Winner: Liberty Flames (-140, BetMGM)

I’ll give you one favorite I like that I think we are getting a discount on right now after their latest loss to Louisiana Tech, and that is Liberty. The Flames are the most talented team in the conference, but they have had a few speed bumps along the way to this point, which is why we can get them as low as -140 on BetMGM. Liberty is 2-2 in the conference, while New Mexico State leads with a 3-0 record. I don’t think there is a chance that stays the same, and sometimes we get teams that take time to really gel together and start playing well.

When it comes down to it, I just don’t see any other team in the CUSA that can compete with them when it really matters. Sure, Middle Tennessee is good and UTEP is decent, but just take a look at Liberty’s next game. They are a massive -7.5 favorite against UTEP, the team that is third to win the conference right now. That should tell you how much better they truly are than everyone else.

Liberty is ranked 70th in the KenPom rankings, with a top 50 defense in the country. The closest CUSA team to them is Middle Tennessee, which is 117th on KenPom, a pretty drastic difference. In the end, that is going to matter in a smaller conference like this one, and the Flames defense will win out at the end of this.

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