Full court college basketball betting won't tip off until December but sportsbooks are ready to facilitate gamblers willing to lob a couple of not-so-free throws at an NCAA Championship future book on which team will be cutting down the nets at Reliant Stadium in Houston, April 4.
Duke and Purdue were at the top of most future book lists heading into this season but while the Blue Devils remain the team to beat, the Boilermakers have fallen from grace. We'll have more to say about Purdue in a bit.
Duke, which returns three starters from last season's national championship team, opened as a 5/1 favorite to survive the rigors of the 68-team NCAA tournament that is March Madness and emerge with the school's fifth crown, which would tie for third on the all-time list behind UCLA (11) and Kentucky (7). The Blue Devils have a Player of the Year candidate in Kyle Singler (17.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG), a hot shot transfer in Seth Curry, who led all freshmen in scoring (20.2 PPG) last year, and a fabulous freshman class, headed by point guard Kyrie Irving. Bet against Coach K and his crew at your own peril.
Purdue was the 6/1 second choice before Robbie Hummel (15.7 PPG, 43 treys), who missed the last eight games of the 2009/10 season with a torn ACL, re-injured the same knee in an October practice. Hummel is lost for the year and the Boilermakers, who still will be very good, have slipped to 15/1. Yes, if you're one of those unlucky souls who took Purdue at 6/1, you're fully qualified to explain the risks of future book betting to the rest of us.
Of course, there's another side to Purdue's misfortunes: If you bet MichiganState at 15/1 (now 10/1 at most wagering emporiums) you're the indirect benefactor of fellow Big Ten team Purdue's bad luck. The Spartans get back two-time all-Big Ten point guard Kalin Lucas, who returns after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the second round of last season's Big Dance, as well as two other studs, Durrell Summers and Draymond Green. As usual, expect Tom Izzo to get the most out of this group.
Get accustomed to KansasState as a basketball power. The Wildcats, who made it to the Elite Eight last season, are 12/1 to win it all with Jacob Pullen (19.3 PPG) the main reason for the optimism. With Pullen popping from outside, Curtis Kelly will work inside.
A trio of past NCAA champions, Kentucky, North Carolina and Villanova, also figure to attract college basketball future book betting. The Wildcats, 15/1, lose all five starters from last season's 35-3 team but such is the recruiting prowess of Coach John Calipari that Kentucky merits this much respect. Respect also is being given to another 15/1 shot, North Carolina, where Coach Roy Williams has assembled an excellent freshman class, led by the heralded Harrison Barnes, to complement a pair of returning starters. Three starters return at Villanova, 18/1, which has good size and senior leadership but undoubtedly will miss first team All-America Scottie Reynolds.
College basketball betting fans who like a little more proven talent with their future book ducats may want to pounce on Pittsburgh, which welcomes back four starters from last season's 25-9 team. The backcourt of Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall should be the Big East's best.
The Tournament title is wide open (don't we always say that every year?) and teams such as Ohio State, Butler, Florida, Tennessee, Illinois, Memphis, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, Syracuse and probably a half-dozen more are worthy of consideration in the 25/1 to 50/1 future book betting range.
Longshot hunters might want to take a chance on programs such as Washington, Gonzaga, West Virginia, San Diego State and Virginia Tech, all offered at juicy prices of 60/1 to 100/1.
Last year at this time, Duke, the eventual champion, was resting at odds of 15/1 while Butler, the national runner-up, was being offered at odds of 60/1 in futures. The 2011 champion is on the board somewhere and now is when bettors will try to find that team.
Let the 2010/11 college basketball betting season begin.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
