Media by Associated Press – Indiana forward Jordan Geronimo (22) brings the ball up court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Bethune-Cookman, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
The 2022-23 NCAA College Basketball season is underway, and a handful of tournaments are about to begin with the Thanksgiving holiday.
Conference play isn’t far behind, with most of the big conferences getting games in ahead of Christmas and New Year’s. With futures bets available at nearly every book, let’s take a look at three sleepers to keep an eye on this season.
Creighton +2500
Creighton began the season ranked No. 10 and racked up three blowouts to kick off the campaign. They will get tested soon enough as the Bluejays head to the Maui Invitational and face No. 25 Texas Tech in the first round. Louisville or Arkansas will be their second opponent on the islands, with Arizona, Ohio State, San Diego State, and Cincinnati on the other half of the bracket.
Creighton will also face Texas, Nebraska, BYU, and Arizona State in December before starting conference play. They are battle tested with four of the top six players back from last year and the addition of two transfers. Creighton gave Kansas all they could handle in the NCAA Tournament second round last year despite being short-handed.
Back from injury are point guard Ryan Nembhard and center Ryan Kalkbrenner. In the first three games this season, Kalkbrenner is averaging 18 ppg and 8.3 rpg, while Nembhard is at 7.7 apg. Arthur Kaluma and Trey Alexander are both in double figures scoring so far this season, and the Bluejays are shooting 35% from 3-point range and averaging 87 ppg.
Transfers Baylor Scheierman and Francisco Farabello will help this season after playing at South Dakota State and TCU, respectively. Their addition gives Greg McDermott depth and allows him to play a variety of styles. This, and the 3-point shooting, will make Creighton a dangerous team in March.
Indiana +3500
At No. 13, the Indiana Hoosiers were the top-ranked Big Ten team in the first AP Poll. They went out and won their first two games by 35 and 52 while getting ready for Xavier and North Carolina later in the month.
Coach Mike Woodson has brought the excitement back to Assembly Hall in Bloomington. His debut season ended with IU back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. He added a top-10 recruiting class, and seven of the top nine scorers are back.
Trayce Jackson-Davis is a preseason All-American, and he averaged 18 ppg in the first two wins despite only playing about 22 minutes per game. Freshman Malik Reneau is off to a great start at 12.0 ppg. Xavier Johnson and Race Thompson both averaged double-digits in scoring last season.
Indiana will face Arizona and Kansas in December. They will go through the Big Ten gauntlet, which over the last 20-some years has grinded teams down and prevented the conference from winning a title. At +3500, Indiana is worth the risk to break that 23-year drought.
Auburn +4500
Ranked No. 15 to start the season, Auburn started the season with an 18-point win over George Mason and an 8-point win over South Florida. They get a couple more mid or low-majors before facing St. Louis, Memphis, USC, and Washington as they head into SEC play.
People forget that Bruce Pearl and the Tigers went to the Final Four in 2019. The tournament was canceled a year later when the Tigers were 25-6 and positioned for a deep run. After a year of ineligibility, Auburn was a 2-seed last year before falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers lost Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler to the NBA. They brought in the No. 3 ranked center recruit Yohan Traore and the No. 7 point guard recruit in Chance Westry. Wendell Green Jr. is already averaging 18 ppg, and he appears ready to make the next step.
Auburn is well-coached and balanced with a top-20 offense and a top-20 defense. They are battle tested for the SEC and were ranked No. 1 during the regular season last year. If the 3-point shots fall, they could make a deep run come March.
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