Conference play is about halfway through, and that means that we are well on our way to the 2012 March Madness schedule! Check out some of the teams that are well on their way to success in the dance and how they shake out on the odds to win the NCAA Tournament!

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It is clear that the team with the most talent in the country is the Kentucky Wildcats (Odds To Win National Championship: 7 to 2 @ Bovada Sportsbook). Sure, Head Coach John Calipari has never found a way to win the big one, but he took a team last year that was largely considered to be a year away from being a real contender and made it a Final Four team. This year’s team is even more talented. Anthony Davis is one of the best big men in the game, and he is just one of the many future NBA stars that are donning the blue and white right now. The question is in the backcourt, where there are nothing but youngsters. Doron Lamb, the big time returner of the bunch is going to have to have a big time NCAA Tournament for the Cats to win it all. That being said though, UK is still well on its way to being the top overall seed in March Madness, and we would be shocked to see them be anything but the favorites to win it all when the brackets are released in a few short weeks.

We still tend to think that the Ohio State Buckeyes (2012 March Madness Odds: 9 to 2 @ Bovada Sportsbook) are as good as advertised as well. Jared Sullinger is just a man amongst boys for the most part, and William Buford is rounding into one of the best guards in the Big Ten. Teams are having a hard time challenging the Buckeyes, especially in Columbus, and there are already some huge wins that have been racked up against some of the best teams in the land this year both at home and on the road. Last year’s shocking exit in the Sweet 16 (to none other than this Kentucky team) is going to be burned into the minds of everyone at Ohio State, and the desire is going to be there to make it a heck of a lot further than that this time around in the dance.

List Of NCAA Tournament Basketball National Champions (Since 2000)
2011 NCAA Tournament Champions: Connecticut Huskies
2010 NCAA Tournament Champions: Duke Blue Devils
2009 NCAA Tournament Champions: North Carolina Tar Heels
2008 NCAA Tournament Champions: Kansas Jayhawks
2007 NCAA Tournament Champions: Florida Gators
2006 NCAA Tournament Champions: Florida Gators
2005 NCAA Tournament Champions: North Carolina Tar Heels
2004 NCAA Tournament Champions: Connecticut Huskies
2003 NCAA Tournament Champions: Syracuse Orange
2002 NCAA Tournament Champions: Maryland Terrapins
2001 NCAA Tournament Champions: Duke Blue Devils
2000 NCAA Tournament Champions: Michigan State Spartans

There is no doubt that in terms of sheer talent, the North Carolina Tar Heels (2012 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 11 to 2 @ Bovada Sportsbook) are about as good as it gets as well. This team has the best frontcourt in the country with John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Harrison Barnes, but the truth of the matter is that the backcourt just isn’t there now that Dexter Strickland is out for the season. The Tar Heels have days where they look dominating, and days when they aren’t so hot. They only have four losses on the year, but that fourth one to the Duke Blue Devils might be the one that comes back and stings them when it comes time to see who will be a No. 1 seed on the brackets this year. North Carolina absolutely can still win the NCAA Tournament though, and there aren’t all that many teams in the land that we reasonably think can say that.

We go from a team that has a dominating frontcourt to one that has a dominating backcourt. At 30 to 1, we love taking the Florida Gators (Odds to win the NCAA Basketball Championship: 30 to 1 @ Bovada Sportsbook). Sure, Head Coach Billy Donovan and the gang were beaten and beaten soundly at Rupp Arena by Kentucky, but there was no shame in that loss. UF has a good history in the NCAA Tournament, and Kenny Boynton, Bradley Beal, and the rest of a tremendously deep backcourt picked up a lot of experience in last year’s dance. We all know that guard play is the key to the NCAA Tournament, and if that’s what it really comes down to, we like the chances that the blue and orange have of a deep run.

There are always those teams that you look at and wonder why they have odds that are just so ridiculous. Enter the Temple Owls (Odds to win the 2012 NCAA Basketball Championship: 200 to 1 @ Bovada Sportsbook). Sure, we know that the Owls have had a terrible history in the NCAA Tournament, and we know that they are nowhere near a lock to get into the dance quite yet. However, they have the best team in the Atlantic 10, likely will win the conference tournament, and might be in the Top 5 seeds when the brackets are released. Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez are experienced guards that can put up some big time numbers, and the Owls have already proven that they can beat some of the best in the country when they took down Duke at the Liacouras Center not all that long ago. Temple has Sweet 16 potential, and as we have seen in the past from some of these smaller schools with experienced players, anything can happen from there.

Odds to Win the 2012 NCAA Tournament @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 2/9/12):
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Kentucky Wildcats 7 to 2
Ohio State Buckeyes 9 to 2
North Carolina Tar Heels 11 to 2
Syracuse Orange 6 to 1
Duke Blue Devils 10 to 1
Kansas Jayhawks 12 to 1
Missouri Tigers 12 to 1
Baylor Bears 18 to 1
Michigan State Spartans 25 to 1
Florida Gators 30 to 1
Georgetown Hoyas 30 to 1
Louisville Cardinals 30 to 1
Connecticut Huskies 35 to 1
Indiana Hoosiers 40 to 1
Marquette Golden Eagles 40 to 1
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 40 to 1
Vanderbilt Commodores 40 to 1
Wisconsin Badgers 40 to 1
Florida State Seminoles 50 to 1
Virginia Cavaliers 50 to 1
West Virginia Mountaineers 60 to 1
Gonzaga Bulldogs 65 to 1
Kansas State Wildcats 65 to 1
Memphis Tigers 65 to 1
Michigan Wolverines 65 to 1
Texas Longhorns 65 to 1
Creighton Blue Jays 75 to 1
Harvard Crimson 75 to 1
Illinois Fighting Illini 75 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 75 to 1
Pittsburgh Panthers 75 to 1
Purdue Boilermakers 75 to 1
St. Louis Billikens 75 to 1
San Diego State Aztecs 75 to 1
St. Mary’s Gaels 75 to 1
Washington Huskies 75 to 1
Xavier Musketeers 75 to 1
Alabama Crimson Tide 100 to 1
California Golden Bears 100 to 1
Cincinnati Bearcats 100 to 1
Miami Hurricanes 100 to 1
New Mexico Lobos 100 to 1
UCLA Bruins 100 to 1
Wichita State Shockers 100 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 125 to 1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 125 to 1
Seton Hall Pirates 125 to 1
BYU Cougars 150 to 1
Minnesota Golden Gophers 150 to 1
North Carolina State Wolfpack 150 to 1
Oklahoma Sooners 150 to 1
Stanford Cardinal 150 to 1
VCU Rams 150 to 1
Ole Miss Rebels 200 to 1
Oregon Ducks 200 to 1
Temple Owls 200 to 1
Virginia Tech Hokies 200 to 1
Colorado Buffaloes 250 to 1
Texas A&M Aggies 250 to 1
Arkansas Razorbacks 300 to 1
Butler Bulldogs 300 to 1
LSU Tigers 300 to 1
Maryland Terrapins 300 to 1
Oklahoma State Cowboys 300 to 1
Tennessee Volunteers 300 to 1
Washington State Cougars 300 to 1
Iowa Hawkeyes 500 to 1
South Florida Bulls 500 to 1
Villanova Wildcats 500 to 1
Wake Forest Demon Deacons 500 to 1

Well everyone it is that time of year again when the weather turns cold, leafs fall off the trees, college football is winding down the regular season, and the college basketball season is quietly getting under way. That’s right college hoops are here and time to put some focus on the hardwood. The college basketball season usually does not get the most attention until the majority of the football season is over, but for college basketball enthusiasts our time is here. Over the last 24 hours the first games of the regular season have been played as we anticipate the long exciting season so there is no better time to take a look at some of the teams to watch out for in 2009-2010 basketball season.

The Kansas Jayhawks young talented team has taken the top spot in the polls which should be a surprise considering how well the Jayhawks played in the NCAA Tournament with an inexperienced roster. However, our focus for this article is to shy away from the top 5 teams in America who are receiving all of the attention and spot the potential sleepers who will come on strong. Remember last year we nailed 3 out of the 4 NCAA Bracket winners including the big underdog in Villanova and we have a few teams on our watch that you should keep on your radar throughout the year. Take a look at a few teams that are not receiving a ton of attention, but could be shining brightly in the spotlight by season’s end.

The Mountaineers finished the regular season in 2008 at a mark of 21-10 despite being beaten up by the brutal conference play down the stretch. The fact is that West Virginia would have been a top 10 team all season long if they played anywhere outside the Big East considering how stacked the conference was last year. Coach Bob Huggins now enters his 3rd year in Morgantown and considering the difference he has made in his first two years the program is definitely headed in the right direction. Huggins now has most of his own players running his style of play which will make all the difference. The key player on the West Virginia roster will be sophomore forward Devin Ebanks. Ebanks got off to a slow start last year reaching double digits just 9 times through the first 25 games. However, the young talent really came on strong scoring at least 10 points or more in 13 of the final 15 games giving tons of promise for the 2009-2010 season. Leading scorer Da’Sean Butler will also be back after averaging 17 points per game a season ago. Butler gives the team the dangerous ability to get hot and is dangerous all over the court. If junior transfer Casey Mitchell can come in and give immediate help, the Mountaineers will have the best inside presence in the conference. Look out for freshman Kevin Jones who could make a similar big presence on the inside well with some time as well. If the Mountaineers can find one guy to become a big shooter on the outside to compliment the inside game, dare I say Final Four?

I know what most are thinking when they see Butler, but do not be fooled. The Bulldogs return everyone from the starting rotation a year ago that finished 25-4 on the season. Sure Butler plays a weak schedule, but their style of play proved to cause problems for many different teams last year. The Bulldogs took down Xavier and Davidson during the regular season and fell by a single basket to Ohio State who many had as preseason best in the Big Ten for 2008. Butler also fell just short of knocking off number 2 seed Tennessee who was the best team in the SEC keeping them out of the sweet 16. However, with everyone back things should only get better. This could be the only team in the nation that could put 5 guards on the court and get away with it. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward will be critical youngsters for the team as veteran senior Willie Veasley will provide the leadership the team will need. How far could Butler go? Well that may be hard to tell, but they will be a team that is extremely difficult to guard and it would not be a big surprise if this shaped up to be a Cinderella Story.

The Gamecocks may be a stretch to make a ton of noise this season, but they deserve a lot more attention than they are getting. South Carolina currently is not even ranked, but they will change after a few short weeks. Senior guard Devin Downey is one of the most exciting players in the SEC to watch with tremendous hustle. Downey scored 19 points per game in 2008 and led the conference with 3 steals per game. The talented senior will be the key guy when South Carolina needs to pull out close wins as he did multiple times in 2008. However, the entire team is on the rise behind Coach Darrin Horn who is in just his 2nd year as head coach. The team may have its best years ahead, but that is not to say they can do some damage in the SEC this year. South Carolina took down Florida once and Kentucky twice in the regular season and they will match-up well with everyone again this year. The Gamecocks will need senior Dominique Archie to have an even bigger season this year especially on the boards. Archie averaged 16.5 points and 8 rebounds last season, but South Carolina really needs him to control the boards as they lack the single big man needed to be really strong. However, this is a quick team that will give everyone a hard time and we would put them ahead of some of the over hyped Big Ten teams already ranked in the top 25.

One of those Big Ten teams that are not over hyped is the Purdue Boilermakers. While Michigan State is receiving the overwhelming attention in the Big Ten and rightfully so, Purdue will have every opportunity to be the dark horse that could steal the thunder. In fact, this is most of the same team that blew out the Spartans by nearly 20 points in late February of last season. The lethal weapon of the team will be forward Robbie Hummel who averaged 13 points and 7 boards last season. Hummel will be even better this year and the Boilermakers will be a force. Purdue as a team has all the players in the right positions to expect big things. JaJuan Johnson is the big guy in the middle and senior guard Chris Kramer will need to improve a bit. However, freshman guard D.J Byrd could be the biggest difference for the Boilermakers. It is usually not a good sign to place a lot of responsibility on a freshman, but Purdue really needs a consistent hot hand from the perimeter. Bryd could do that right away depending on how quickly he adapts at the next level. However, if he can knock down a few shots each game Purdue has all the making to contend in the Big Ten.