College Basketball Sleepers

With College Basketball season finally upon us, it is time to begin analyzing teams and deciding which ones are properly rated, which ones are overrated, and which ones are underrated. Also, now is a good time to be deciding which teams to make college basketball bets on, before the gambling crowd turns their attention to the sport in a few weeks after college football ends. With that, this article will give you a high tier team with good value, amid tier team with a good value, and a true dark-horse team that no one is talking about (but should be).

Beginning in the high tier, Michigan State would have been a clear play here until they beat Kansas and hurt their odds in the process. Now, they probably aren’t a great value. Instead, let’s look at the team they beat, the Jayhawks. Kansas certainly did an incredible job of choking that game away at the end but don’t let that fool you: Kansas controlled that game for the first 33 minutes. Mason is an experienced point guard with skill and Perry Ellis is the most underrated big man in the country. Bill Self is great at developing players throughout the season and Kansas plays in a conference they dominate. With everyone, off Kansas, they make a great contrarian play.

In the mid-tier let’s look at another team with a lot of size and that would be Purdue. With everyone talking about Maryland and Michigan State in the big ten, Purdue will have more size than all of them. Haas, Hammons, and Swanigan are an incredible big man trio and Raphael Davis is an elite perimeter defender and an improving shooter. Guard play has held this team back for a few years but expect their bigs to more than make up for the difference this year. Coaching is also a problem with this team. Painter has refused in previous years to just jam the ball to Hammons in the post. If he is willing to do that this year, this team is massively underrated and is final four good.

If you’re the risky type who likes deep sleepers, look no further than Xavier. Xavier put a beat down on a very good Michigan team on the road and they did it with size, physicality, and toughness. Remmy Abel and Indiana transfer has been playing the best basketball of his career and Jalen Edwards has stepped up in the post. Look for Xavier to rise throughout the year, it would be a good idea to get them now as opposed to waiting. The Big East is also not what it used to be. Xavier could potentially be in contention to win that conference. In the NCAA Tournament, they will have more size than nearly every team in the country. I won’t lie to you: this play isn’t for the faint of heart but if you are willing to take a risk on Xavier, the rewards good be great. Xavier is massively underrated.