Conference tournaments are less than a week away as teams are gearing up for the final stretch of the season.
Only one thing is on every team’s mind: winning the tournament and clinching an automatic qualifier to the Big Dance.
Keeping that in mind, and with mid-major conferences getting underway this week — Power 5 still has another week left — let’s look at some bets to make for outright winners:
Three games to glory.
That’s all Vermont needs to find itself back in the NCAA Tournament, and though other sportsbooks have the Catamounts as sizable favorites, you can still find them at +100 at Bet365.
Vermont should cakewalk through the first two games of the conference tournament.
John Becker’s squad is 13-1 in conference play and ranks No. 1 in just about every defensive metric, and offensively, the Catamounts sit just behind UMass Lowell.
Aaron Deloney is starting to finally see the 3-ball go through the hoop lately — 38 percent in his past seven — while TJ Long and Shamir Bogues have provided a huge boost on both sides of the floor.
This is a Vermont roster that ranks inside the top 50 in bench minutes.
This squad has the ability to take away UMass Lowell’s specialty — drawing fouls and creating second chance opportunities — and take advantage thanks to a depth advantage.
Vermont should find itself as 3-4 point favorites in the championship game against UMass Lowell — and that’s if the River Hawks get there. If not, this should be smooth sailing for the Catamounts.
All eyes are on Florida Atlantic to defend its crown in the American, but there’s a certain team playing for its life — with momentum on its side — entering conference tournament play.
Penny Hardaway lit a fire under Memphis after losing by nearly 30 points to SMU a couple of weeks ago, and since then the Tigers have ripped off three straight wins.
Included in that bunch is a win against Florida Atlantic.
You have to remember, this is the same Tigers team that took down Texas A&M and Clemson earlier this season.
This is a talented and deep Memphis roster that can sustain four games in four days.
Perhaps most notable with this Tigers roster is its veteran experience. David Jones transferred from St. John’s and has become a superstar — leading the team in points (21.6), rebounds (7.6) and steals (2.2) per game.
Jahvon Quinerly runs the offense while Kansas State transfer Nae’Quan Tomlin has settled into his roll as a dominant big man.
In AAC play, Tomlin is first in the conference in true-shooting percentage.
He is a dominant rim protector and one of the hardest bigs to guard — he will be relied on heavily with Malcolm Dandridge potentially out for the rest of the season (academic scandal).
Push comes to shove, I expect Memphis to find itself fighting for a chance to win the AAC. This is the No. 1 offense during conference play in both eFG% and 2-point percentage.
Haslametrics ranks the Tigers inside the top 65 in momentum and second in the conference behind Rice — which, frankly, doesn’t stand a chance in the long run.
The superstar firepower Memphis possesses makes me willing to take a shot on the Tigers at +600. I would wait until the end of the season, just for seeding purposes.
It might make sense to run a moneyline roll over with the Tigers over the four games, depending if they line up with FAU in the second game of the tournament (vs. getting a team such as Charlotte).
The last one here I’ll keep short and simple: I wrote about St. John’s upsetting Creighton in Madison Square Garden — which they did, handily.
This is a team that has found its stride after Rick Pitino’s comments, following that Creighton win with a 23-point drubbing of bubble foe Butler.
When looking at how the Johnnies have played over the past few months, it’s not like they have ever been out of a game — they were in it with Connecticut before the Huskies pulled away late.
They blew a heavy lead against Seton Hall and led by double digits against Marquette on the road.
Late collapses happen, and that’s why we’re getting a +2500 ticket on St. John’s here. Oh, and not to mention that the Big East Tournament is held in Madison Square Garden, where the Johnnies play some of their home games.
If St. John’s finishes the season strong, it could even earn a bye into the quarterfinals as a 5 seed.
But I’m willing to bet on Pitino’s squad to flash their excellence here and continue to make an NCAA Tournament push as they find themselves on the bubble in plenty of must-win opportunities down the stretch.
This team is more than capable of taking down any Big East foe, and I’ll gladly take +2500 on the Johnnies home floor.
Charlie DiSturco analyzes college basketball for Action Network.