Those looking to bet on college basketball have been watching a weird basketball season in which no team has really run away from the field, but we can safely say that Ohio State, Kansas, Texas, Duke and maybe Pitt will be the favorites when the March Madness odds are released. But who do you pick after that? Here are five teams we think will give you some good value. Wisconsin The Badgers are a big, strong team with a budding star in guard Jordan Taylor, who was the driving force in the win against previously-unbeaten Ohio State. Wisconsin also takes care of the ball and hits their free throws, one of the most overlooked aspects in college hoops today. The only major question is an offense that doesn’t score a lot outside of Taylor and senior big Jon Leuer. Florida The Gators are extremely balanced, the starters have played together for almost two years, and they’re great on the glass without committing a lot of fouls. But the guard duo of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton can be prone to bad shooting days, and the Gators are also terrible at the free-throw line. Even those watching the NHL trade deadline will be looking for good fundamentals, and we’re worried their charity-stripe struggles will come back to bite Florida. BYU You have to give the Cougars a chance with Jimmer Fredette at the helm; the nation’s leading scorer has yet to be slowed down and some NBA scouts are drooling over him. But we’re skeptical of BYU’s schedule as they play in the Mountain West, and have only really played two teams, Arizona and San Diego State (and maybe UCLA). Also, what are the Cougars going to do if Fredette has a bad game? Can they depend on Jackson Emery or Brandon Davies? Still, with Fredette in Provo, anything can happen. North Carolina The Tar Heels showed they could be a force in their loss at Duke, and Kendall Marshall has really stepped up at the point after Larry Drew II left the team. North Carolina are big inside with Tyler Zeller and John Henson, but the x-factor is Harrison Barnes, who looked overwhelmed by being named the first freshman preseason All-American in history. He’s starting to come around and could break out in the Tournament. Also, the Tar Heels are horrible at the foul line and below average beyond the arc. Arizona The Wildcats aren’t getting a lot of publicity, but the Pac-10 is getting better and Arizona is the best team from that conference. They also have a player in Derrick Williams that many think will be the No.1 pick in the draft. The problem is, the Wildcats don’t have much else in terms of scoring, and they’re not that great defensively. They turn the ball over a lot and don’t force that many, but with a star player like Williams, Arizona may be worth a look in your online sportsbook.
