Conference Title Best Bets Midway Through the CBB Season

SEC: Tennessee (+210)

The lone power conference without a minus-money favorite, we believe the Vols should be favored here. Alabama still has plenty to prove, Auburn still lacks a Quad 1 victory, and Kentucky has proven to be streaky with such a youthful roster. As Rick Barnes always advertises, Tennessee boasts one of the top defenses in the entire country this season. Add in Dalton Knecht as an All-American candidate and an offense that is better than most under Barnes, and the Volunteers have some serious value to walk away with the regular-season crown in the SEC.

Big 12: Houston (-170)

This is the one favorite we will lay the juice with among the power six simply because of an undying love for Kelvin Sampson. The floor for the Cougars has been so consistently high for so long that we just don't see them slipping up from this top spot. Jamal Shead is quietly having an unbelievable season as the team's alpha, and the defense is top three in the country in almost every meaningful statistic. Saturday's marquee matchup at the Phog against Kansas will go a long way to tell us what kind of race we have on our hands in February.

Big East: Marquette (+700)

UConn is our pick to close out their first Big East regular-season title since 2006, but at -850, they simply cannot be touched. We'll go second-choice with Marquette, who has suddenly ripped off five straight victories, with three coming away from home. They're two games behind the Huskies at 7-3 in the Big East, and with both matchups against UConn remaining on the schedule, they sit in a similar position as Duke chasing UNC. Creighton's fall to Butler at home greatly hinders their title chase, so we'll rock with the Golden Eagles here.

Big Ten: Illinois (+1400)

The Illini have done well to tread water within the second tier of the Big Ten all season long. They've consistently been better than the Michigan States and Northwesterns of the world, while never quite reaching the level of Purdue so far. They gave a gamely effort in Mackey a few weeks back with just a five-point defeat, and we fancy their chances to catch the Boilermakers more than that of Wisconsin, who sits at a much short +440 price. The return of Terrence Shannon Jr. is a nice boost here as well, and it's one we're willing to roll the dice on.

Pac-12: Washington State (+2900)

This is our favorite pick among the power conferences. Arizona's fall to Oregon State showed that this race may be a bit more open than most expect. The question becomes: Who's going to step up? We're willing to throw Washington State's hat in the ring, a rising power in the Pac-12 over the past month. Since their triumph over Arizona on January 10th, barttorvik.com's T-Rank has the Cougars as the tenth-best team in the nation since that night. They are playing some of the best basketball in the country and have a legitimately elite inside-outside duo in Myles Rice and Isaac Jones. Take a flyer here on a weaker conference and back Wazzu to make a push for the title. 

SEC: Tennessee (+210)

The lone power conference without a minus-money favorite, we believe the Vols should be favored here. Alabama still has plenty to prove, Auburn still lacks a Quad 1 victory, and Kentucky has proven to be streaky with such a youthful roster. As Rick Barnes always advertises, Tennessee boasts one of the top defenses in the entire country this season. Add in Dalton Knecht as an All-American candidate and an offense that is better than most under Barnes, and the Volunteers have some serious value to walk away with the regular-season crown in the SEC.