College basketball fans are making their March Madness brackets with March Madness right around the corner. In the meantime, gamblers betting on March Madness are looking for what team might go all the way and if there might be some Cinderella teams to pick from this year's March Madness tournament.
Every year there is usually one team that is a bracket buster for fans and gamblers, so which team out of the field of 68 teams has a chance to be that bracket buster this year?
Ohio State: A Potential Elite Eight Bracket Buster
While the Ohio State Buckeyes are widely known for their football program, this year's basketball team for the Buckeyes is looking to avenge their first-round upset to Oral Roberts in last year’s March Madness.
E.J. Liddell is back with the Buckeyes and is someone who experienced last year's loss and has improved his game from last year. Liddell is now considered one of the top five college basketball players today, which might help the Buckeyes make that push to the Elite Eight this year.
Liddell won’t be the only superhero on the court for the Buckeyes, as freshman Malaki Branham will be there to support Liddell. Branham is playing like a star already, averaging 11.8 points a game with a field goal percentage of 48.2 for the season.
Liddell will also have other players on the team that have experience and know what it’s like to play in the March Madness tournament, which furthers their chances of being a spoiler to teams in the tournament.
Gonzaga: The Current Favorite That Could Disappoint
Last year the Gonzaga Bulldogs made it to the NCAA Basketball National Championship game, only to lose to the Baylor Bears. But for this year, the Bears are suffering from injuries to key players, leaving the Bulldogs in the driver's seat of this year’s tournament, or so people think. Last season the Bulldogs were undefeated until they lost to the Bears; however, this season, they have already lost two games and might not make it back to the championship game again this year.
The Bulldogs have been in the hunt for a championship the past five years; they haven’t sealed the deal with a championship win. While this year’s Bulldogs’ defense is better than last year, they still have two losses on their record, even with a better defense. That fact makes the Bulldogs a bracket buster for people and not in the way some bracket-busting teams tend to be.
Alabama: A Team That Could Go Far or Completely Flop
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been two of the best teams in college basketball this season with wins over Gonzaga and Baylor. While the Crimson Tide has found surprising success with upset victories, they have struggled against other opponents. Coach Nate Oats has started benching players who don’t play defense on the court, which saw the team’s second-leading scorer being left off the court.
That scorer was Jahvon Quinerly, who Oats decided to put back into the game late against Vanderbilt so the Crimson Tide could come back and win. While Oats is benching players, regardless of how good they are on offense, to try and light a fire under those players, he also saw how doing so could jeopardize the Crimson Tide’s placement in the March Madness tournament. If Oats’ plan works, the Crimson Tide can have a deep run in the tournament, but they could be a one-and-done team this year if it backfires.
What to Look for When Betting March Madness
With the Bulldogs wanting to reach that title game yet again, it’s hard to go against them. However, the safe bet would be for them to make the Final Four but not win it all. The Buckeyes are a hungry team and don’t want a repeat of last year’s one-and-done result. Betting on them as a sleeper for the Elite Eight could pay off for people.
The Crimson Tide are an X-factor that could go either way. Coach Oats wants a better defense, even if they lose offensive firepower. If the players he’s benched so far get to come back for the tournament with better defensive play, they could be a sleeper bet for at least making the Sweet 16 of the tournament.
