As the best Vegas online betting sites build up the buzz into March Madness next week, fans can see some of the better futures come into focus. Here, at VegasBetting, we had a question regarding our 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament Picks. Will Duke win their conference tournament? Let’s have some fun by looking at a few of the more intriguing choices out there.
| NCAAB Futures -- March Madness |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| ACC Tournament | ||
| Duke | -185 | -150 |
| North Carolina | +600 | +700 |
| Wake Forest | +610 | +1000 |
| Notre Dame | +610 | +1000 |
| Big East Tournament | ||
| Villanova | +100 | +175 |
| UCONN | +340 | +350 |
| Providence | +340 | +500 |
The Duke Blue Devils have found a way to top the odds once again and are a favorite. They were not in this position last year as they had one of their worst seasons in recent memory. This season, Duke has rebounded in a big way going 26-5 with a 16-4 mark during ACC Conference play.
At press time, Duke was ranked fourth in the nation last week. Maybe a few regular-season losses will serve them well. This delving into the March Conference Madness revealed a few things. For one, Duke was rolling along and then they hit a giant road block known as North Carolina. North Carolina was not having the greatest season but they found a way to win at Duke of all places.
The Simple Rating System (SRS) done by College Basketball Reference measures the strength of schedule combined with point differential. Non-Division I games are thrown out if anyone is wondering. Duke is second worst out of the top ten teams with a 20.2. So, that is one thing to watch out for. North Carolina, with the upset win, boosted it’s record to 23-8 on the season.
The fact that Duke was a 11 point favorite for Coach K’s final regular season game paints an interesting picture. North Carolina is no slouch to be fair. They just started out poorly. Duke is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the nation. However, anything can happen in March Conference Madness. The Blue Devils top-five players are all non-seniors. Wendell Moore, as a Junior, is their most experienced. Joey Baker and Theo John are the senior backups/mentors.
When it comes to NCAA March Conference Madness Picks, one still has to look at the Duke Blue Devils. Yes, Duke has won its fair share of national titles but this is Mike Krzyzewski’s last dance. There is this increasing sense to prop up Duke. However, after their home loss to North Carolina last week, more questions than answers have surfaced.
Now, Duke is 26-5 and still ranked seventh in the nation. The Blue Devils won the regular season title but what may be forgotten is that North Carolina finished the conference year with a 15-5 mark. Coach Hubert Davis knows a little about springing surprises. After getting routed back to back times by Miami and Wake Forest, the Tar Heels went 11-2 the rest of the way including avenging a home loss to Duke.
Now, some have asked about the offensive thrust. Can Duke get more out of Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore? The same can be said for North Carolina. Caleb Love and Brady Manek have started to step up but the Tar Heels need more out of them and again that depth. They showed it against Duke but can they do this throughout an entire Conference Tournament?
That is the thing here. There is a growing sense of a run coming from this North Carolina team. Few expected this but this is poetic. Some even believe Wake Forest and even Notre Dame have value. The Fighting Irish also went 15-5 in conference and have a 22-9 mark. The tournament looks like it will be between those three teams.
North Carolina or Notre Dame could do this but also why Duke is likely survives March Conference Madness. Reality dictates that Duke is the favorite and hence our ACC Conference Tournament Pick.
The Big East Conference Tournament takes place at the basketball Mecca known as Madison Square Garden. Right now, the regular season champion Villanova comes in at 23-7 with a 16-4 Big East mark. Providence topped the league with a 14-3 mark and 24-4 overall record. Their strength of schedule is not like Villanova’s. Then, there is UCONN who started to play better during the second half of the season.
Online betting sites like MyBookie are throwing out some nice numbers. UCONN and Providence seeing numbers around +340. Currently, that is a good bit better than some other sites which are offering differing numbers. The thing is March Conference Madness could spring an upset or two.
Anything can happen come March. There have been quite a few crazy upsets in the last month including the night where all top six teams lost.
Take the Providence Friars in an upset to win the Big East Tournament. Our choice comes in at a solid +500 via BetOnline. Villanova has beaten them twice recently but both games were close and Providence had their chances to win. On a neutral site, it is very possible a different result could occur.
Providence has the athleticism to take on UCONN and win. Yes, the Huskies have also been hot but the Big East tournament often gets ugly and the Friars have a slight edge there. Take Providence on a small wager.
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