Value is everywhere in college basketball. In fact, it's likely found more in the mid-major ranks than at the power conference level, and that's true of the preseason futures market as well.
Below is a selection of my favorite values still available in the mid-major marketplace, along with where to find the best odds at this point in the offseason.
So, here's my NCAAB mid-major futures, including six teams to bet on for 2025-26.
USF Bulls (+200)
To Win American
It's hard to know what to make of South Florida’s new era, as the Bulls return only one healthy piece from last year’s team.
Last year’s Arkansas State Red Wolves are a decent starting place, though, as USF adds two key starters and the head coach — Bryan Hodgson — from that team. Those Red Wolves won a share of the Sun Belt title and finished 84th in KenPom, which would've been third in the American.
Long-range bomber Joseph Pinion and double-double machine Izaiyah Nelson should give USF a strong foundation given their familiarity with Hodgson, a rising star in the coaching ranks.
The Bulls also added Wes Enis, a Division II All-American, and Daimion Collins, an SEC-caliber rim protector.
There are also a cadre of useful transfers from quality mid-major teams and a highly-touted freshman class.
In my view, this roster is better than Memphis’, Hodgson is a better coach than Penny Hardaway and the league schedule – though stiff – is equivalent with the other contenders based on how the American set up its matchups.
I'll happily take that combination at 2-to-1 odds.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies +550 (Caesars)
To Win Horizon League
Like South Florida, I believe Oakland is the best team in its league. The margins are extremely thin here between the top teams, and the 20-game schedule is a grind, but longtime boss Greg Kampe has seen it all before.
His Golden Grizzlies have the best interior threat in the league in Tuburu Naivalurua, and Kampe added a ton of experience around him this offseason via two fifth-year players and three other seniors.
Plus, Oakland brought in the two best JUCO transfers in the conference in point guard Khoi Thurmon and forward Isaac Garrett.
The bearish case against Oakland: Despite his brilliance, Kampe has only won or split the regular season title twice in the last 12 years (since moving to the Horizon).
His zone defense can get picked on by skilled offenses, and although the Horizon is short on those, it could be a limiting factor.
Still, I don’t really trust anyone else in this conference, and these odds are still long enough to make it worth it.
I bet this at +800 and a little more at +650, and I think it’s worth betting down to +450.
UC Irvine Anteaters (+210)
To Win Big West
I nearly yelped when I saw UC Irvine at over 2-to-1 odds. Russell Turner has been a juggernaut in the Big West, winning or sharing the league title in seven of the last 12 seasons (second or tied for second in four of the others).
The Anteaters will be in the mix, but the value is currently depressed because they lost a ton of contributors from last year’s 17-3 Big West runner-up team.
Not all of them are gone, though, with rising sophomore Jurian Dixon and uber-productive center Kyle Evans both back to play key roles.
Plus, the Anteaters get Andre Henry (the 2023-24 Big West Defensive Player of the Year) and towering big man Akiva McBirney-Griffin back from injury.
The biggest difference-maker is Derin Saran, who's massively undervalued by statistical projections because of a lost season at Stanford. Prior to that debacle, he was the highest-usage player on another 17-3 UC Irvine squad, and he shredded Arizona State for 27 points and 11 rebounds in an exhibition victory.
Hawaii and UC Santa Barbara may have more enticing portal classes, but Irvine has Saran, Turner and an elite interior defense.
Give me the Anteaters down to +185.
Samford Bulldogs (+650)
To Win SoCon
Samford lost coach Bucky McMillan to Texas A&M this offseason, and along with him went basically the entire Bulldogs roster.
That generally puts Samford behind Furman and Chattanooga, two excellent mid-major programs with established coaches returning to rosters with more continuity. The Bulldogs have more variance, hence the price difference, but they could be just as good as the traditional SoCon powers.
Swiping Lennie Acuff from Lipscomb was a massive coup; Acuff is a widely-respected offensive guru who built a consistent winner in Nashville. He brought Dylan Faulkner with him, and he could be the best player in the conference (he's rated as such by EvanMiya’s BPR).
The biggest undervalued piece for the Bulldogs is point guard Jadin Booth, a ludicrously productive Division II transfer (21.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.3 APG, 102 made 3s).
He should pair well with Keaton Norris to give Acuff an approximation of his Will Pruitt/Joe Anderson backcourt at Lipscomb, as both are lethal shooters and capable playmakers.
These odds are too long for that nucleus; I think Samford is quality value down to +500 or even +450.
Yale Bulldogs (-130)
To Win Ivy League
Look, betting an odds-on favorite for a future that won't resolve until March can feel like a frustrating way to tie up your money. Where’s the payoff?
But with Yale, I think the Bulldogs are a runaway freight train in the Ivy League thanks to its overwhelming size and athleticism edge on the rest of the league.
Nick Townsend is the conference’s best player, Samson Aletan might be its best rim protector, Isaac Celiscar was one of its best freshmen and Casey Simmons is perfect complementary wing. Oh, and James Jones is the best coach (apologies to Mitch Henderson).
In my opinion, the biggest threat to the Bulldogs is going to be Harvard, which has an excellent sophomore class. But Princeton and Cornell got crushed by departures, and I'm not buying Brown or Dartmouth as strong enough to challenge for the crown.
Only a 14-game schedule leaves a little room for variance, but Yale was an easy bet for me here (I took it at -110, I would bet it to -150).
Utah Tech Trailblazers (+3500)
To Win WAC
Here’s my big long-shot bet. I don’t think the Trailblazers are far behind the best teams in the WAC.
Case in point: Utah Tech’s best big man, Ethan Potter, comes from Utah Valley, the betting favorite. Potter was a key role player last year at UVU and likely would've started this year.
Utah Tech also brings in key additions Marvel Allen, a former highly-regarded recruit at Dayton with plenty of upside if he's finally healthy, and Chance Trujillo, a key sniper and secondary playmaker for arguably the best JUCO team — 32-2 Snow College — in 2024-25.
Both of these players are almost certainly being undervalued by analytical projections.
Overall, the WAC is a perfect place to get a little crazy. No one in the top six has fully distinguished themselves from a roster perspective.
If you want to take a swing on talent, Tarleton State has an impressive amount of it.
The one complication is a triple round-robin schedule, which does decrease the variance in season-long results.
