The college basketball season is about to kick into third gear as March is only a month away. That means teams should be almost settled with their rotations and who they want to roll with going forward, although there is still time to take some risks.
On Saturday, there are no contests between Top 25 teams but there are still some very important matchups. Kansas State will visit No. 15 West Virginia in a Big 12 showdown of teams that are both 16-6. No. 9 Arizona will visit the Washington Huskies to end the day, which should be a very entertaining game on the Pac-12 Network.
Let’s take a look at this week’s power rankings based on the college basketball futures.
1. Duke Blue Devils
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +500
The Blue Devils (19-3, 7-3 ACC) lost to Virgina, but bounced back to beat Notre Dame; both games were at home. They’ll head out on the road to visit St. John’s on Saturday. The Blue Devils were held to 22 first-half points in a 65-63 loss to Virginia, who do have arguably the best defense in the country. However, Duke should have enough to win these games and even though Marvin Bagley (30 points, 14 rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr. (14 points, 15 rebounds) played well, no one else did. That can’t happen if the Blue Devils want to make a deep run.
2. Michigan State Spartans
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +550
The Spartans (21-3, 9-2 Big Ten) won at home over Wisconsin and Penn State, and they also beat Maryland on the road. They’l; visit Indiana and Iowa this week. The Spartans are rolling due to their defense, which is 21st in the country in points allowed and they’re unselfish with the ball, leading the country in assists. Miles Bridges leads the way with 17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds, but the Spartans are a true team on both ends of the floor.
3. Villanova Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +700
The Wildcats (21-1, 8-1 Big East) won at Marquette and then again at home over Creighton. They’ll stay at home this week against Seton Hall and St. John’s. The Wildcats have won eight in a row since losing at Butler, and they’re third in the country in points per game. They’re hitting 41.8% of their three-point attempts, which is tied for seventh in the country, so you basically have to hope that the Wildcats aren’t hitting their shots to have a chance against them.
4. Arizona Wildcats.
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1100
The Wildcats (19-4, 9-1 Pac-12) won at home over Colorado and Utah, and then at Washington State as well. They’ll visit Washington this week. There are no doubts about Arizona’s offensive ability, led by Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier. However, they’re still tied for 156th in points allowed and they have been decent at that end of the court as of late, they need to be a bit more consistent.
5. Kansas Jayhawks
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1200
The Jayhawks (18-4, 7-2 Big 12) won at home over Texas A&M and then at Kansas State, and they’ll host Oklahoma State and TCU this week. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had a good week with 24 points in the win over Texas A&M and 22 points against Kansas State, and he is the player most likely to step up for the Jayhawks if Devonte Graham has a bad game.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1200
The Wildcats (17-5, 6-3 SEC) won at West Virginia and then at home over Vanderbilt in overtime, and they’ll head to Missouri next, followed by a home game against Tennessee. The win at West Virginia was especially impressive as Kentucky were down by 15 at halftime against a top-10 team, and they outscored the Mountaineers by 22 in the second half to pull out the win. Kevin Knox had 34 points to go with seven boards in Kentucky’s biggest win of the season.
7. Virginia Cavaliers
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1600
The Cavaliers (21-1, 10-0 ACC) won at Duke and then at home over Louisville, and then they head to Syracuse and Florida State this week. The win at Duke proves that Virginia can hang with the big boys as they were outrebounded 44-31, but they forced 16 turnovers out of the Blue Devils and had just five themselves. Kyle Guy had 17 points for the Cavaliers, who lead the nation in points allowed and they know what they are: a tough, defensive team that is going to grind you down.
8. Purdue Boilermakers
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1800
The Boilermakers (22-2, 11-0 Big Ten) won at home over Michigan and Maryland, and they also won at Indiana between those games. They’ll head to Rutgers next, followed by a home game against Ohio State. The Boilermakers are quietly making a name for themselves as they’re one of the most balanced teams in the country, ranking 17th in points per game and 18th in points allowed. If you’re not familiar with the Boilermakers coming down the stretch, you should start doing so immediately.
9. Wichita State Shockers
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1800
The Shockers (17-5, 7-3 American) won at home over Central Florida and Tulsa, but they lost at Temple in overtime. They’ll head to Memphis this week. The Shockers started out this season as one of the mid-major teams to watch, but their defense is still too inconsistent as they have lost three of their five games by allowing 80 or more points. Their offense is good, but they can have bad nights and their defense isn’t nearly good enough to carry them when they do have those off-nights.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +2200
The Tar Heels (16-7, 5-5 ACC) lost at home to North Carolina State in overtime and then at Clemson, and they’ll host Pittsburgh this week. The Tar Heels have now lost three in a row and have allowed 80 points or more in all three of those games. The Tar Heels are 33rd in the country in points per game, first in rebounds and 14th in assists, but they’re 205th in the nation in points allowed. North Carolina’s title defense could be undone by terrible defense and they need to get things back on track quickly. After the Pittsburgh game, Duke comes to town for the Tar Heels’ biggest game of the season.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
