NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Odds

NCAA conference tournaments feature lots of great rivalry games, like Ohio State versus Michigan State in the Big 10. (Photo credit: M.Hallowell / Foter / CC BY)

March Madness betting season is just around the corner.

The field for the 2015 NCAA tournament will be finalized this weekend. First, NCAA conference tournaments will be held to determine which teams automatically qualify for March Madness and which ones will need to earn an at-large bid.

Conference tournaments are a great way to see some of these teams in action before the big dance, but you need to be careful not to put too much stock in them, either. Teams that have already assured themselves of a high seed in the NCAA tournament (Virginia, for example) might not be too interested in going all-out to win their conference tournament.

Kentucky’s an exception this year. The Wildcats will definitely be the #1 overall seed in March Madness, but they still have a lot to play for in the SEC tournament as they look to maintain their perfect record this season.

Following is the opening conference tournament odds for the major conferences (ACC odds posted after Round 1), as posted at Sports Interaction.