NCAA Basketball Betting: Tennessee Leads the Log Jam in the SEC

The 2023-24 men's college basketball season is drawing near, and FanDuel Sportsbook has college basketball conference betting odds live.

Here is how they look for the SEC's regular season winner:

Tennessee Volunteers (+290)

The Tennessee Volunteers are the favorites to win the SEC thanks to a roster full of veterans. Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi return to form perhaps one of the best backcourts in the country. Zeigler averaged 10.7 points per game (PPG) and 5.4 assists per game (APG) last season while Vescovi totaled 12.5 PPG.

Ahead of the upcoming season, Zeigler landed on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year watch list, and Vescovi made the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year watch list. Both players bring plenty of experience; Vescovi is a fifth-year senior with over 100 career starts, and Zeigler is entering his third season after earning a starting role last year.

The returning contributors don't stop there, though. Fifth-year senior Josiah-Jordan James is yet another returning double-digit scorer, and the Volunteers added the 13th-best transfer available in Dalton Knecht, per 247 Sports' transfer portal rankings. Knecht, the former Northern Colorado Bear, comes off a potent 2022-23 season, averaging 20.2 PPG while shooting 47.9% from the field.

Tennessee's wealth of experience and group of talented scoring guards and wings make the Vols the favorite to win the SEC. Keep in mind that the Volunteers ranked first in Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive rating last season. UT has not won a share of the conference since the 2017-18 season, and their last outright win came in the 2007-08 season.

Is this the year for Tennessee? Let's check out some of the Vols' top competition in the conference.

Texas A&M Aggies (+550)

Similar to the Volunteers, the Texas A&M Aggies are returning most of their experience. Nine players are returning, including starters Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece "Boots" Radford, Henry Coleman III, and Julius Marble.

Taylor should be one of the best point guards in college basketball after averaging 16.3 PPG and 3.9 APG last season. He made CBS Sports' Preseason All-American Second Team and the Bob Cousy Award watch list. Taylor has been showered with praise as he also was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

Radford, who has averaged at least 10.2 PPG in four consecutive seasons, rounds out a strong backcourt.

The Aggies also ranked 24th in Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive rating in the 2022-23 season. With most production returning, Texas A&M should feature another strong defensive unit. Will the Aggies win their second SEC title in program history?

Kentucky Wildcats (+600)

As usual, the Kentucky Wildcats are in the picture. Despite failing to meet the program's sky-high expectations, Kentucky continues to receive preseason hype in the SEC. The Wildcats have only one SEC regular-season title since the 2017-18 season (the last title was in 2019-20).

Kentucky enters the 2023-24 season as the third choice to win the conference. After returning more experience than usual over the last few seasons, the Wildcats have the typical John Calipari formula. UK landed a loaded 2023 recruiting class with three top-six recruits.

The Cats have some returning experience in Antonio Reeves, who averaged 14.4 PPG last season, and Tre Mitchell -- a senior transfer from West Virginia. However, will this be enough veterans for a team full of inexperienced players?

After ranking 254th in Kenpom's adjusted tempo in the 2022-23 season, Kentucky will likely speed up its play in the upcoming season with a roster that leans on guard and wing play. The Wildcats could get back to their fun, explosive style led by a talented group of freshmen: Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, D.J. Wagner, Rob Dillingham, and Reed Sheppard.

The SEC race will likely remain a close contest until the final week of the regular season. Tennessee and Texas A&M are the favorites to win the conference due to returning experience, but the SEC should feature plenty of strong teams once again. Florida (+650), Auburn (+800), Alabama (+850), and Arkansas (+1000) are more intriguing picks to win the Southeastern Conference.

Looking for more college basketball betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming college basketball odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.