With March a few weeks away, teams all over the country are hoping to use any last bit of momentum to justify a bid into the field of 68.
The toughest and deepest conference by far in college basketball at the moment is the Big Ten.
Last season, the eight at-large bids from the conference went a perfect 8-0 in the first round of play.
This year, much of the same is happening, starting with the alpha, Michigan (+500 to win the NCAA Tournament, DraftKings).
Dusty May’s squad sits atop the conference with a 23-1 record and 13-1 mark in conference play. The Wolverines have exceptional depth, led by two-way star Yaxel Lendenberg.
Within this top tier of “locks” are Illinois (+275 to make Final Four, bet365), Nebraska, Purdue, and Tom Izzo’s blue-collar Michigan State bunch.
Each of these four teams has 10-plus conference wins and has already eclipsed 20 total victories on the season.
Five teams in, and I haven’t even mentioned Wisconsin, UCLA, Iowa or Indiana, another solid bunch of ball clubs that many would consider already in the mix.
Let’s keep count, shall we?
Currently, we are looking at nine potential bids for the Big Ten alone, and I project a 10th team will emerge from the fold.
That team is Eric Musselman’s USC Trojans, as freshman Alijah Arenas has been better than advertised.
After missing the Trojans’ first 18 games recovering from a knee injury, he made his season debut back on Jan. 21 against Northwestern.
They are 4-3 with the five-star recruit in the lineup, at one point winning three straight.
With his minutes restriction quietly lifted, Arenas responded with 29 points at home against Indiana and 24 points at Penn State. He mustered a hallmark game-winning layup versus the Nittany Lions, which mirrored the scoring prowess of his dad, Gilbert.
With former Auburn standout Chad Baker-Mazara on the mend with a knee injury, Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie crashing the boards, Musselman’s team should have a chance at dancing come March.
Their 18 wins already top last year’s mark, and they won the 2025 Maui Invitational.
The Trojans will have ample opportunities to solidify their résumé, starting with a pair of home games versus top-ranked Illinois (Feb. 18) and Nebraska (Feb. 28).
They also play Oregon, Washington, and UCLA twice.
Betting on College Basketball?
At 6-foot-6, Arenas doesn’t shy away from the big moments and is a three-level scorer. In a year or two, his game will mature well as a professional.
Despite flying under the radar in comparison to the other members of his 2025 freshman recruiting class, such as Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer, Arenas can effectively win over the hearts of many collegiate basketball fans come March.
The Play: USC to make NCAA Tournament, Yes (-105, bet365)
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Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
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