BiE’s editor used to work in betting, he still thinks about it a lot, and with one Euro potentially being a game-changer next year, he’s really interested in why Kansas are being under-valued.
Rock chalk Mykhailiuk may not have a ring to it but it seems apt especially as the local press around KU are cooling on Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk already. One look at the really early 2015 odds for the NCAA Basketball title and it’s clear the Jayhawks are there or thereabouts but the wunderkind has yet to be truly accounted for by oddsmakers. Kansas at +1400 looks a great bet for hedging in the early going. Only a fool ordains a champion in the off-season but you have to think the Jayhawks are a 1 or 2 seed come March, at worst at 3, based on Bill Self’s body of work. That makes them a good team to carry all the way to the middle weekend of the big dance before you start laying them.
The team to steer clear off, and then some, right now is arguably the most talented team in the sport. The Kentucky Wildcats are loaded and John Calipari is a brilliant coach but you just can’t bet on anybody at +275 in August. It’s beyond foolish. That number will come out and the smart bettor will hang on until it does. Right now, that’s just too stingy a price.
Other teams who fit the good but over-priced category include Arizona (+800), Wisconsin (+800), and Duke (+900). All three of these will go beyond +1,000 and probably beyond +1,500 at some point this season so play it smart. Patience is a virtue when playing the long game.
For early value Michigan and Michigan State both look good value. With both schools at +3,000 and likely to make the post-season, bettors can be really smart here. These are low risk low yield plays but the yield is there to be had. Take them and start laying them as soon as they are through their openers in March Madness.
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