Best NCAA title futures bets

Florida Gators among three title contenders with best betting value

Originally Published: March 10, 2013

By Jeff Haley | TeamRankings.com

The NCAA tournament bracket will be announced next Sunday, and in roughly a month college basketball will crown its new champion. And that means only a few weeks remain to make futures bets for the 2013 NCAA title.

Using our simulations of the conference tournaments, NCAA selection process and NCAA tournament, TeamRankings.com assigns championship odds for each team every day. Comparing our predictions with odds that were recently available at offshore sports books, let's take a look at the three best futures bet values among the likely title favorites.

1. Florida Gators

Offshore odds: 4-1 to 7-1
TeamRankings odds: 4.3-1

Coming off a loss to Kentucky, it's interesting to see the Gators at the top of our favorites list. But remember, our system is not heavily influenced by the results of a single game. One should not overreact to a single close road loss to a good team. Additionally, Florida's critics will point out that it has not fared well in close games, going 0-5 in games decided by six points or fewer. While we note this point, there is little historical evidence that teams that have lost several close contests will continue to lose the close games in the future.

To read more about which three NCAA title contenders are the best bets to win the tourney, become an Insider today.