long shots that can win their conference Tourney
Last season, we saw two bid stealers come from major conferences with Georgetown and Oregon State. While the Hoyas bounced out early in the Madness, the Beavers’ Cinderella story continued all the way to the Elite 8. Here are five teams with far-fetched odds to cut down the nets in their respective conferences. (Odds presented by Draft Kings)
wyoming (+600)
Champ week is do or die for the Cowboys as they are currently in Joe Lunardi’s Last 4 In. Just 3 weeks ago, Wyoming entered the AP Poll at #22 and seemed to be a shoo-in for the tournament. However, they have gone 3-4 since that ranking and find themselves solidly on the bubble. If they get past UNLV on Thursday, the most likely path to glory is through Boise State and #23 Colorado State. Wyoming has already beaten both of them and, if they can do it again, the impressive Mountain West will send four teams into the field of 64. Senior Hunter Maldonado leads the Poked averaging nearly 19 points per game, and would be a name to watch if they do get in.
Oregon (+1500)
Another team that has been plummeting lately, the Ducks are forced to win the Pac 12 to get back into the big dance. In 2018-19 they found themselves in the exact same position and were able to pull through. That team kept playing all the way to the Sweet 16. Maybe there’s just something about Dana Altman’s back against the wall. Without Will Richardson, Oregon will rely heavily on a triplet of transfers: Jacob Young (Rutgers), De’Vion Harman (Oklahoma), and Quincy Guerrier (Syracuse). As the only team in the Conference of Champions to sweep UCLA, the Ducks have what it takes to make another run.
Seton hall (+1600)
Seton Hall is the only school mentioned in this article that sits as a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Even though the Pirates are the 6-seed in the Big East, they have an essential 1st round bye as they play 0-19 Georgetown on Wednesday night. With a win, they would take on #20 Connecticut. It makes no sense that Kevin Willard’s team sits at 16-1 to win the conference. They come in winning 5 in a row, including 2 impressive road wins at Xavier and at Creighton. Seton Hall has 8 wins away from home this year and should have no problem continuing that success in Madison Square Garden.
Wichita State (+2000)
The last two teams that I’ll mention are no where near the projected field. The Shockers head into the American Conference tournament at 15-12, and just 6-9 in conference play. They open with Tulsa on Thursday and would face a desperate SMU team if the advance. This isn’t a bad draw as they would avoid playing Memphis or Houston until the semi-finals. While they have lost to plenty of bad teams, Wichita State has also shown the ability to hang with the big boys. In conference play, they have already beat SMU once (by 15), and just a few weeks ago they took #18 Houston to double overtime. Let’s not forget about way back in November when, in just their 4th game of the season, this Wichita team took #2 Arizona to overtime in Vegas. Yes, close losses don’t count for anything, but if you’re looking for a deep sleeper Wichita State might be your team.
Nebraska (+40000)
Don’t look now but here come the Huskers! Just 2 weeks ago, Fred Hoiberg’s team sat at 1-16 in the Big Ten and could not wait for the season to end. After 3 straight road wins (Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin), Nebraska feels like they have a real shot to win the Big Ten and get into the big dance. The long shot of all long shots, at 400-1 they might be worth a sprinkle. Star freshman Bryce McGowens is questionable for Game 1 and, even though they beat Wisconsin without him, winning 5 games in 5 days without their best player would be tough. Currently sitting at 10-21, Nebraska would be one hell of a story if they can pull this off.