This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
The conference tournaments are in full swing, and some teams are helping themselves make a late case for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, while other teams are seeing their collective bubbles burst.
We'll be focusing on teams who are going to win the whole enchilada, once the Field of 68 is announced, and there just isn't a lot of value focusing on teams who barely make the tourney. Yes, every once in a while you get a team like Virginia Commonwealth, going First Four to Final Four, or North Carolina coming out of nowhere as an 8-seed to roll to the title game. And yes, there are the Butler, George Mason and St. Peter's stories, too, which capture the imagination of fans all over.
Trust me, I love the little guy. I went to a small school, FAU, who had a record-breaking season, and I have big dreams of seeing Owlsey (the mascot), head coach Dusty May, Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin and Vladislav Goldin cutting down the nets at NRG Stadium in Houston.
But if you hope to be holding a winning ticket when "One Shining Moment" is being played, you don't want to get too fancy. We'll look at some candidates who should be sure-fire plays to cut down the nets, then a couple of other longer shots for the more adventurous bettors. Let's get started!
HOUSTON COUGARS
The Cougars of Houston, from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), are currently listed as the chalk. They're all but likely to snag one of the four No. 1 seeds, if not THE top overall seed. And wouldn't that be a home-court advantage if it could take care of business in the first four tournament games, getting to play for a title in its hometown?
Houston has an outstanding body of work, recording impressive wins over Kent State, Oral Roberts, Oregon, Saint Mary's, while suffering a Q1 loss to Alabama. The Cougars rolled to a 17-1 conference record in the AAC, with a surprising loss at Fertitta Center to Temple as the lone blemish.
Marcus Sasser is a bona fide star, going for 17.1 PPG, 3.3 APG and 2.8 RPG, and he has solid partners up front with J'Wan Roberts (10.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 64.9 FG%) and Jarace Walker (11.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 35.5% 3PT). In fact, Houston boasts five scorers averaging 9.9 PPG+, and that's all well and good.
But defense wins championships, and Houston has a ton of that. In fact, it ranked 2nd in the country in points per game allowed (56.5), defensive field-goal percentage (36.5%) and defensive 3-point percentage (28.0%).
The one teeny, weeny bit of concern for UH is its inability to hit free throws when it matters, going just 72.2% from the charity stripe, which is rather middling. As the intensity ratchets up, and the quality of competition increases dramatically, hopefully that doesn't rear its ugly head.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL FUTURES BET: Houston Cougars (+600) 
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
We haven't had a back-to-back national champion since Billy Donovan led the Florida Gators to consecutive titles in 2006 and 2007. I know, that wouldn't have been my first answer to the trivia question, either. Prior to that, it was Duke in 1991 and 1992, then, of course, it was the John Wooden-led UCLA dynasty teams of the 1960's and 1970's. In other words, it's not easy to do.
Kansas won it all last year against the previously aforementioned 8-seed North Carolina Tar Heels at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Head coach Bill Self had to retool after losing players like Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, Mitch Lightfoot, Remy Martin and David McCormack to either graduation and/or the NBA Draft.
Self has done an amazing job restocking the cupboard in short order, not only to win and qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but to be a force and national title contender, especially coming out of the uber-competitive Big 12.
Kansas has scored impressive victories over Duke, Indiana and NC State, just to name a few non-conference quality wins. But this team earned its real dog status by winning the Big 12 regular season title with a 13-5 record in a conference where nine out of the 10 teams are above .500 overall, with six teams have a .500 or better record within the league itself.
The Jayhawks restocked the coffers with Jalen Wilson being joined by Gradey Dick, Kevin McCullar Jr., KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. This is the next crop of stars in Lawrence, and it wouldn't be surprising to see more net-cutting ceremonies and trophies landing in the case at Allen Fieldhouse again with this bunch.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL FUTURES BET: Kansas Jayhawks (+800) 
UCLA BRUINS
The last thing old-school basketball fans want to see if UCLA winning anything. Ever. But if you're a fan of history, and just a casual basketball fan, it's always fun to see the blue and gold in the NCAA Tournament. Love them or hate them, UCLA is great for college hoops, and it is the most storied program.
John Wooden would be proud of this group, which won 27 games in the regular season, including 18 victories inside the conference. In fact, the Bruins were four games clear of Arizona and USC for the regular-season championship. It was a dominant season in Westwood, and they're just getting started.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a superstar, going for 17.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG and a solid 48.7 FG%, and he has Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark to give the Bruins a solid Big Three.
The Bruins suffered some early-season losses on a neutral floor against the likes of Baylor and Illinois, but I bet if those games were played now, the results would be much different. I wouldn't put a lot of stock into what happened in November when this nucleus was still jelling.
This UCLA has some double-digit wins over Kentucky, Maryland and Oregon, and the Bruins entered the Pac-12 Tournament with 10 consecutive wins dating back to a late-January setback at crosstown rival USC. UCLA has that 'look', and it will either be a No. 1 seed, or perhaps on the No. 2 line, set up favorably for a rather easy ride into at least the Sweet Sixteen before things start to heat up.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL FUTURES BET: UCLA (+900) 
MIAMI HURRICANES
OK, so you know all about the favorites, and want some national title long-shots, do ya?
Well, the Miami Hurricanes ended up sharing the ACC regular-season title with the Virginia Cavaliers, who subsequently are also listed with the same odds to win it all. Miami earned the No. 1 seed in the ACC Conference Tournament, and head coach Jim Larranaga has done an amazing job in South Florida. In fact, it's not just a baseball and football school anymore. The U is back, but it's not because of the boys on the gridiron, that's for sure.
Miami has a resume littered with impressive wins, from a double-digit victory over Providence early in the season, to home wins over Duke, NC State and Virginia. It also swept Virginia Tech, the defending ACC Tournament champ, while topping North Carolina on the road. This team has a strong resume, and it also has the ACC Player of the Year in Isaiah Wong (15.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 38.1% 3PT).
This is a team that is going to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament, as it sports four players averaging 13.4 PPG or more points, and it is a VERY good free-throw shooting team at 78.0%. Perhaps the only reason the Canes do not get as much hype for winning all the marbles is on the defensive side of the ball. It allowed 71.7 PPG, and a 44.8% defensive field-goal percentage, which is substandard among the title contenders. But if Wong and company get hot, you never know.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL FUTURES SLEEPER: Miami (+5000) 
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
OK, REALLY thinking outside of the box, I like Northwestern to be that Cinderella team that America falls in love with in this year's NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats went 12-8 in the Big Ten, tying Indiana for second place in the conference standings behind first-place Purdue. A lot of people have been down on the Big Ten because Northwestern has been so good, and that's not fair. This team was impressive, and deserves its flowers after a strong campaign. They shouldn't be discounted or disparaged because the league is perceived to be down, as a whole.
Northwestern won 21 games this season, and it is all but certain to go to the NCAA Tournament for just the second-time ever. The Wildcats did sputter down the stretch a little bit, dropping three of the final four regular-season games, even giving me, the eternal optimist, some pause.
However, the Wildcats also swept Indiana, won against Purdue in their only meeting, while scoring a 20-point win over Iowa, a season sweep of Wisconsin, a road win at Michigan State and a 13-point win over Illinois. Those wins cannot, and should not, be discounted.
Can Northwestern REALLY win the whole thing? It's unlikely. But in the odds neighborhood it finds itself, the Wildcats are the only team in the area with the chance to make a deep run and perhaps be fitted for Cinderella's slipper.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL FUTURES SLEEPER: Northwestern (+12500) 
To recap, here are a few potential futures bets for the 2023 College Basketball National Champion:
- Houston (+600)
- Kansas (+800)
- UCLA (+900)
And here are
- Miami (+5000)
- Northwestern (+12500)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the College Basketball odds page on RotoWire.
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