Looking to wager some cheddar right now on college basketball? Want to get ahead of the crowd and try to find some good value for so-called long shots to win the NCAA title in 2017? Let's take a look at where the best values are at. Here, take a look at VegasInsider.com's listing of college hoops futures on winning it all. All of those odds are favorable, relatively speaking, but you can really hit big if you put money on a team that's getting crazy odds at the moment.
Vegas Insider monitors the sportsbook at the Las Vegas SuperBook (and a few other big Las Vegas sportsbooks), so you're getting an overarching view of how the linesmakers feel about college basketball right now. Things will obviously change by the start of the season, let alone December, when much more money pours in.
Here are five of the best value bets right now in college basketball.
Xavier Musketeers
Odds to win national title: 40/1
The Musketeers were a 2 seed last year, but lost a heartbreaker in the second round to Wisconsin. Guess what? X might well be better this season. I could see it following a similar path to what Villanova did from 2014-2016. This could wind up as a top-five team in college basketball, and if that proves to be the case come early March, you won't be getting 40/1 on X winning the tournament. Edmond Sumner, Trevon Bluiett, J.P Macura are all back. That's a strong trio, and there's still plenty more. Myles Davis -- a senior who's had a troubled offseason -- can factor in again, if all goes well with his legal issues. Grad transfer RaShid Gaston is a name to know. He'll probably have a breakout year, and is pivotal to Xavier's interior. Chris Mack has only enhanced Xavier's standing in college basketball since the program joined the Big East. This should be a top-15 team on offense and defense.
Texas Longhorns
Odds to win national title: 50/1
I expect the Longhorns to linger in the 10-20 range of the AP rankings for most of the season. If you've got a team in that range coming in at 50/1, it's worth a flier. Texas is going to have an entertaining blend of vets and freshmen. The defense should be close to elite, I think. An aggressive, athletic group that should finally be jelled by the time we get to March means Texas should be a Final Four sleeper right now. And this is only Shaka Smart's second year in Austin, but you know what he did in his second year at VCU? Yep. Final Four.
California Golden Bears
Odds to win national title: 75/1
Cal's going to have Ivan Rabb back. Rabb would've likely been a lottery pick in June. Instead, he's a sophomore, and he'll probably be one of the 15 best players in college hoops. Cal also has Jabari Bird still on the roster. Yes, the losses of Jaylen Brown, Tyrone Wallace and Jordan Mathews hurt, but remember that Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee will be practicing for the Bears this year (but won't play until next season). Kam Rooks in the middle will make Cal's front line maybe the best in the Pac-12. Cal is a long shot to win it all, but that's what this is all about -- the value.
NC State Wolfpack
Odds to win national title: 125/1
So, if you've got one of the three best point guards in college basketball, you probably shouldn't be below 75/1. But NC State is that, despite having Dennis Smith, Jr., who could be a top-six pick in next June's NBA Draft. Smith is shifty, strong, athletic and a tremendous passer. This will be Mark Gottfried's most watchable team since he took over the program in 2011. Last season was the only year the Wolfpack failed to reach the Dance in his tenure, by the way. Smith will have Abdul-Malik Abu -- a top-100 player -- down low, plus BeeJay Anya, Terry Henderson and stud sophomore Maverick Rowan. Can't wait to watch this team. Has potential to be top-four in the ACC, which will be the best league in college basketball this season.
Creighton Bluejays
Odds to win national title: 150/1
Probably the best value on the board, because Creighton's likely to not only make the NCAAs, it's also going to have an All-American candidate in Mo Watson, Jr., plus the addition of Marcus Foster -- who was awesome at K-State. The Bluejays earning something as high as a No. 4 seed wouldn't surprise me at all. Not at all. Combo that with these 150/1 odds, and you've got something. Greg McDermott's going to have a good offense, real size (five guys are listed at 6-foot-8 or taller) and a great weapon in Cole Huff, who enters the season as the league's most underrated player.
Odds to win national championship
| Team | Odds |
| Duke | 19/5 |
| Kentucky | 8/1 |
| Kansas | 12/1 |
| North Carolina | 16/1 |
| Villanova | 16/1 |
| Arizona | 18/1 |
| Michigan State | 18/1 |
| Oregon | 18/1 |
| Wisconsin | 20/1 |
| Indiana | 25/1 |
| Virginia | 25/1 |
| Louisville | 30/1 |
| Syracuse | 30/1 |
| Xavier | 40/1 |
| Connecticut | 45/1 |
| Maryland | 50/1 |
| Purdue | 50/1 |
| Texas | 50/1 |
| UCLA | 55/1 |
| Gonzaga | 65/1 |
| Miami, Fl. | 65/1 |
| West Virginia | 65/1 |
| Seton Hall | 70/1 |
| California | 75/1 |
| Iowa State | 80/1 |
| Utah | 85/1 |
| Georgetown | 100/1 |
| Michigan | 100/1 |
| Texas A&M | 100/1 |
| Florida | 110/1 |
| Arizona State | 125/1 |
| Baylor | 125/1 |
| Butler | 125/1 |
| NC State | 125/1 |
| Oklahoma | 125/1 |
| SMU | 125/1 |
| Iowa | 135/1 |
| Cincinnati | 150/1 |
| Creighton | 150/1 |
| Ohio State | 150/1 |
| USC | 150/1 |
| Florida State | 175/1 |
| Dayton | 200/1 |
| Notre Dame | 200/1 |
| Rhode Island | 200/1 |
| San Diego State | 200/1 |
| South Carolina | 200/1 |
| VCU | 200/1 |
| Vanderbilt | 200/1 |
| Washington | 200/1 |
| Wichita State | 200/1 |
| Saint Mary's | 225/1 |
| Tennessee | 225/1 |
| Harvard | 250/1 |
| Kansas State | 250/1 |
| Marquette | 250/1 |
| Mississippi State | 250/1 |
| Pittsburgh | 250/1 |
| Alabama | 300/1 |
| Arkansas | 300/1 |
| Colorado | 300/1 |
| Fresno State | 300/1 |
| Houston | 300/1 |
| Illinois | 300/1 |
| Minnesota | 300/1 |
| Oklahoma State | 300/1 |
| Ole Miss | 300/1 |
| Princeton | 300/1 |
| Providence | 300/1 |
| UNLV | 300/1 |
| Wake Forest | 300/1 |
| Davidson | 350/1 |
| Georgia | 350/1 |
| Memphis | 350/1 |
| Nebraska | 350/1 |
| Northwestern | 350/1 |
| Texas Tech | 350/1 |
| Colorado State | 400/1 |
| Georgia Tech | 400/1 |
| St. Bonaventure | 400/1 |
| St. John's | 400/1 |
| Temple | 400/1 |
| Virginia Tech | 400/1 |
| Auburn | 500/1 |
| BYU | 500/1 |
| Boise State | 500/1 |
| Clemson | 500/1 |
| DePaul | 500/1 |
| LSU | 500/1 |
| Missouri | 500/1 |
| New Mexico | 500/1 |
| Oakland | 500/1 |
| Oregon State | 500/1 |
| Penn State | 500/1 |
| Stanford | 500/1 |
| Tulsa | 500/1 |
| Akron | 1000/1 |
| Buffalo | 1000/1 |
| Chattanooga | 1000/1 |
| Evansville | 1000/1 |
| George Washington | 1000/1 |
| Illinois State | 1000/1 |
| Iona | 1000/1 |
| Louisiana Tech | 1000/1 |
| Marshall | 1000/1 |
| Massachusetts | 1000/1 |
| Middle Tennessee State | 1000/1 |
| Monmouth | 1000/1 |
| North Dakota State | 1000/1 |
| Northern Iowa | 1000/1 |
| Ohio | 1000/1 |
| Old Dominion | 1000/1 |
| Richmond | 1000/1 |
| Rutgers | 1000/1 |
| South Dakota State | 1000/1 |
| St. Joseph's | 1000/1 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 1000/1 |
| TCU | 1000/1 |
| Toledo | 1000/1 |
| UT-Arlington | 1000/1 |
| Utah State | 1000/1 |
| Valparaiso | 1000/1 |
| Yale | 1000/1 |
| Arkansas-Little Rock | 2000/1 |
| Belmont | 2000/1 |
| Boston College | 2000/1 |
| CSU Bakersfield | 2000/1 |
| Central Michigan | 2000/1 |
| Charlotte | 2000/1 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 2000/1 |
| Georgia State | 2000/1 |
| IPFW | 2000/1 |
| Kent State | 2000/1 |
| Long Beach State | 2000/1 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | 2000/1 |
| Louisiana-Monroe | 2000/1 |
| Montana | 2000/1 |
| Morehead State | 2000/1 |
| Nevada | 2000/1 |
| New Mexico State | 2000/1 |
| Pepperdine | 2000/1 |
| UAB | 2000/1 |
| UC Irvine | 2000/1 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 2000/1 |
| UTEP | 2000/1 |
| Washington State | 2000/1 |
| Weber State | 2000/1 |
| Western Kentucky | 2000/1 |
| Wyoming | 2000/1 |
