Betting insights for the West Coast, Sun Belt, Colonial and Southern Conference Tournaments along with Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley and Summit

Wall to wall college basketball continues following the early week start of small conference tournaments this week. Following our preview and odds update on the NEC, Horizon, Patriot and ASUN, we move to Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference tourney and top-ranked Gonzaga. We also chip-in coverage for the Sun Belt, Colonial and Southern Conference, and add odds and betting updates on tournaments that tipped off in the Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley and Summit. 

You can compare daily match-up betting lines along with odds to win the conference tourneys at leading online sportsbooks like BetOnline, Bookmaker and William Hill, where I have corresponded with sportsbooks to bring you more insight and betting data along with notable bets.

BetOnline has started posting conference tournament odds for next week's power conferences, ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac 12. 

West Coast, Sun Belt, Colonial and Southern Conference

West Coast

Played at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, top seed and No. 1 ranked Gonzaga is up to a massive -450 favorite after winning its 10th straight West Coast Conference regular season title. The Zags have won eight of the last nine West Coast conference tournaments, and St. Mary's has won two others since 2009. St. Mary's is up to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 Poll, and the Gaels opened +235 and are now +350 to win the conference tournament.

Both Gonzaga and St. Mary's have double byes into the semi-finals, and don't play until Monday, March 7. The Gaels just handed the Bulldogs their first conference loss this past weekend, defeating them 67-57 in Moraga - a bet I made taking 10.5, but not the moneyline! 

A William Hill bettor in Tennessee missed the opening odds, but still bet on Gonzaga to win the tournament for $9,333 at -400 odds for potential winnings of $2,333.25. Saint Mary’s is next at +325, and then a big gap separates them from the next teams - San Francisco (12/1), Santa Clara (25/1) and BYU (40/1). 

"Usually in the past, they shy away with laying any big number with Gonzaga," Caesars/William Hill reported. But the flood of money on the Zags suggests some bettors feel even -350 was too short. 

BetOnline has Gonzaga up to a -575 favorite to win the West Coast Conference Tournament. 

San Francisco (+1000), Santa Clara (+2200) and BYU (+4000) round out the top five, before the odds adjust to 300/1 or greater on the remaining teams. 

The championship game is Tuesday, March 8 from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.  

Kenpom numbers: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency leaders: Gonzaga (121.5 - third in nation), Santa Clara (113.6), San Francisco (111.3), BYU (111.1). Adjusted Defensive Efficiency leaders: Gonzata (88.9 - #6 in nation), St. Mary's (88.6), San Francisco (93.6). Gonzaga leads league conference in Effective FG %, Turnover % and both 2-point and 3-point shooting. Gonzaga is also the dominate leader in 2-point percentage defense and blocks percentage, and 3-point defense leaders are San Francisco and Gonzaga. St. Mary's is the leader in turnover percentage defense. 

Sun Belt 

The Sun Belt is much more competitive with six teams odds 8/1 or less led by favorite Texas State at +270 after locking up the regular season title. However, Georgia State is down from +400 to +290. One New Jersey bettor put $5,000 on Georgia State +400, and then another $2,000 on Georgia State +350 for total potential winnings of $27,000. 

South Alabama (+550) and Appalachian State (+600) are neck-and-neck, followed by Coastal Carolina and Troy at +800 apiece. Arkansas State (13/1) and Louisiana (18/1) round out the more competitive group in the Sun Belt tournament.

"Texas State did a great job this regular season, but this conference is so wide open," Caesars/William Hill, "It’s seven or eight deep." 

The Sun Belt tournament is in its second season in Pensacola, Florida, but this year only at the Pensacola Bay Center with the championship game played Monday, March 7.

Kenpom numbers: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency leaders: Texas State (106.8), South Alabama (104.3). Coastal Carolina (104.1). Adjusted Defensive Efficiency leaders: Georgia State (99.7), Troy (100.3), South Alabama (100.5), Appalachian State (101.0). South Alabama and Texas State are the top two shooting teams by Effective FG% followed by Louisiana and Coastal Carolina. The top 3-point shooting team by margin is Texas State. The top 2-point percentage teams are Arkansas State, South Alabama and Louisiana. The top 2-point shooting defense by margin is Georgia State, and top 3-point shooting defenses are Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. 

Southern Conference

In the Southern Conference, Chattanooga finished two games ahead of the pack to take home the regular season title. It’s second-place Furman, however, that is the favorite for this conference tournament at William Hill. The Paladins (+130 down to +125) are slightly edging out the Mocs (+225 down to +200), with Wofford also in the picture at +500. VMI has the fourth-lowest odds at 12/1, while NC Greensboro (15/1), Samford (15/1), East Tennessee State and Mercer (20/1) are in the mix. 

"Furman is a deserved favorite, and Chattanooga had a great year too," Caesars/William Hill reports. "Furman is in the top class of the conference, it’s reflected in the point spreads of their games, they’re highly respected. But this is another tournament where potentially four or five teams could get through and win. Samford has gone from the bottom rung of the conference to have a great year."

The SoCon tournament is held for the 11th straight year in Asheville, North Carolina at the Asheville Civic Center. The championship game is Monday, March 7. 

Kenpom numbers: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency leaders: Furman (114.7 - #21 in nation), VMI (111.9). Adjusted Defensive Efficiency leaders: Chattanooga (100.1), NC Greensboro (100.7). VMI is the top two shooting team by margin for Effective FG% followed by Furman and Wofford. VMI is also the top 3-point shooting team followed by Furman. And Wofford is the top 2-point shooting team followed by VMI and Furman.

Colonial 

Towson and UNC Wilmington shared the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title after each posted a 15-3 record. No. 1-seeded Towson is also the favorite, bet from the opener of +105 to -120. Yet No. 2-seeded UNC Wilmington has odds of +750 after opening 10/1. Hofstra (+350), Drexel (+800) and Charleston (+900) make up the competition on top. Chattanooga is the clear leader in 3-point percentage defense. The 2-point percentage defensive leaders are UNC Greensboro, Furman and VMI. 

"Towson definitely had a great year, but I can see a few teams challenging them here," Caesars/William Hill said. "Wilmington was a nice surprise this season, Hofstra has been one of the top teams in this conference for quite some time, and Delaware and Drexel also have a shot, and those two teams have not they haven’t been in the tournament in three decades."

The Colonial Athletic Association Tournament is held at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. The championship game is Tuesday, March 8.

Kenpom numbers: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency leaders: Towson (111.9), Hofstra (109.4) and Delaware (108.3). Adjusted Defensive Efficiency leaders: Towson (99.9) by margin over Charleston (104.1). Top Effective FG% shooting team is Delaware followed by Towson. The 3-point shooting percentage leaders are Drexel and Delaware, and top 2-point percentage teams are Hofstra and Delaware. The defensive leaders are Towson and Delaware in 2-point shooting percentage and Elon, Towson and Drexel in 3-point defense percentage.   

Other conferences that started this week and some notes include:

Ohio Valley

No. 22 Murray State finished a perfect 18-0 in OVC play, and has put up a remarkable 28-2 record overall. The Racers were -210 odds-on favorite to win the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, with Belmont (+200) and Morehead State (+700) next. 

Caesars/William Hill took a $10,000 bet on Belmont at +220 for potential winnings of $22,000.

The Ohio Valley championship game is Saturday, March 5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, IL/p>

Missouri Valley

It's not too often that you see a No. 4 seed as the favorite for a conference tournament, but that’s the case in the always wild Arch Madness. Loyola Chicago finished in a three-way tie for second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with Missouri State and Drake, but with tiebreakers they’re in the No. 4 spot. Yet, the Ramblers are atop the board at +140, whereas regular season champion Northern Iowa has the third-lowest odds at +450.

Loyola Chicago and Northern Iowa were +400, with Drake (+550) and Bradley (+700) also with competitive odds. Missouri State at +425 drew a $5,000 wager at Caesars/William Hill for potential winnings of $21,250.

Arch Madness is held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. The championship game is Sunday, March 6.

Summit

One New Jersey bettor placed the largest conference tournament wager taken so far at Caesars/William Hill on the favorite, laying $23,000 on South Dakota State -230 for potential winnings of $10,000. The Jackrabbits went 18-0 in Summit League play. 

North Dakota State (+500) is next followed by last year's Summit League tournament winner Oral Roberts (+700).

The Summit League championship game is Tuesday, March 8 from Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and he crushed it in the 2021 NFL season going 28-12 ATS (70.0%) on his underdog picks. He's been a past documented top of the leaderboard college basketball handicapper, and FairwayJay chips in additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on Twitter: @FairwayJay