Need-to-Know Info: Catch Up With the 2021-22 College Basketball Season

With the Super Bowl behind us, football is officially over and won't be returning for another seven months. Baseball is amidst a lockout with no end in sight, and it's admittedly not exactly everyone's cup of tea. But there is one sport that has been consistently delivering for months that anyone with a pulse (and a bankroll) can get firmly into: college basketball.

With 358 teams, 32 conferences, and a sizable slate of games every day (including the monstrous 150-game slates on Saturdays), there is a little bit of something for everyone. If you haven't been paying attention to this electrifying season, don't fret. We have a quick rundown of all the storylines and things to know in order to make your dive into college basketball a seamless one.

And if you need some assistance breaking down each of college basketball's key matchups, make sure to return to Covers for our free betting picks and analysis each day. Plus, get a look at the latest March Madness title odds.

Death, taxes, and arguing about how good Gonzaga actually is

If you've paid attention to college basketball at any time in the last handful of years, this debate seemingly never ends. On one hand, Gonzaga (+400 to win the tournament) is really freaking good this year: they have the highest effective field goal percentage on offense AND defense, something that's never been done before. On the other hand, the Bulldogs play in the WCC, a non-Power 6 conference. But then again, is the Pac 12 really that much better than the WCC? Should the Pac 12 really be treated like a Power 6 conference anymore? If not, does Gonzaga's weak competition really matter?

The Gonzaga deniers will point to their lack of success in the Big Dance, and sure, Gonzaga has yet to win a national title under Mark Few in his 22 seasons. But Bill Self has just one national championship under his belt and appeared in one more in his 18 seasons at Kansas, a blue-chip Power 6 powerhouse. Plus, Gonzaga has only become a regular top seed in the last five years whereas Kansas has been one for the last 15 years, going into the tournament as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed 11 times during that stretch.

Everything up for grabs

This is largely a byproduct of the policies implemented by the NCAA in response to the lost season due to COVID-19. Players were granted an extra year of eligibility as well as a one-time transfer waiver that included immediate eligibility (players in years past had to sit out a year before joining a team). With these at players' disposals, players could find landing spots where they would produce the most and play longer into their careers while doing so. The end result is a higher skill floor for a wider range of programs.

The Big 12 has been a bloodbath and any one of Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, or Texas could feasibly win the conference. Arizona, UCLA, USC, and Oregon are all in contention for the Pac 12. The SEC has five teams currently ranked in the AP poll. Both the Big Ten and the ACC have SIX teams within two games of the top spot. Providence may shock the world and steal the Big East from Villanova. No matter where you look, conferences are up for grabs - and that makes every night that much more exciting.

On the national stage, there are at least seven teams with legitimate cases for No. 1 seeds: Gonzaga, Arizona, Auburn, Kentucky, Kansas, Baylor, and Purdue. Duke is just barely outside that group and has wins over Gonzaga and Kentucky. Outside of those eight, there are still plenty of quality teams left worth mentioning (UCLA, Illinois, Houston, etc.) and other teams that have sky-high ceilings but shaky results altogether (Alabama has wins over Gonzaga, Baylor, and Houston but will lose to teams like Georgia, Missouri, and Iona). And then there are teams with the type of individual talent that can take over a game and a tournament, which brings us to...

College basketball is more full of stars than it has ever been

So many teams are seemingly dangerous and have legitimate chances to do real damage in March because of the overwhelming amount of individuals playing at a very high level. The top contenders are obviously chock-full of top-end talent: Gonzaga's leader Drew Timme and star true freshman Chet Holmgren, Auburn's currently projected first-overall pick Jabari Smith, Kentucky's rebounding savant Oscar Tshiebwe, Duke's true freshman and projected top-five pick Paolo Banchero, Baylor's national championship-leading James Akinjo, Arizona's foreign-born duo of Bennedict Mathurin and Azuolas Tubelis, Kansas' electrifying scorer Ochai Agbaji, and Purdue's projected high-end lottery pick Jaden Ivey and monster-of-a-man Zach Edey.

Those teams also supplement their stars with very robust talent up and down the lineup, but other teams are also causing havoc with singular players who are true game-changers and can regularly claim to be the best player on the court when they step foot on it. Wisconsin's Johnny Davis put up 30 points against No. 12 Houston and 37 points on the road against No. 3 Purdue en route to wins. Illinois' Kofi Cockburn is averaging a double-double (21.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg) and put up 37 of his own in a statement win against Davis and the Badgers. Iowa's Keegan Murray (23.3 ppg) has two straight 30-point performances and has shooting splits of 57% FG% / 37% 3P% / 75% FT% as a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward who is flying up draft boards as of late. Memphis' five-star true freshman Jalen Duren is getting better as the season goes on and is 18 whole months younger than Chet Holmgren.

There seems to be a stud player or talent-filled team putting on one hell of a performance or building on an undeniably impressive 2022 campaign everywhere you look. With three weeks until conference tournaments begin, there's plenty of time to find the players and teams you want to root for before we get into the thick of March Madness. And as always, don't forget to check Covers each day for our free college basketball analysis and picks.

2022 March Madness odds

Live odds below via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks and live within a five-minute delay. Compare college basketball futures before betting to ensure you get the best number.

At the time of this writing, the Gonzaga Bulldogs (21-2) have the best odds at winning March Madness at +500. Oddsmakers have been high on Gonzaga since the beginning as the Bulldogs opened at +550. More surprising has been the emergencies of Kentucky (+850), Arizona (+900), and Auburn (+900). The 21-4 Kentucky Wildcats opened the year at +1,800 but have risen in the ranks considerably. Arizona has gone 22-2, improving its shine since opening at +5,000.

Auburn (23-2), however, has been the most impressive among the top contenders in terms of exceeding expectations. When lines opened, Auburn was listed at +12,500, which would pay a pretty penny if it were to come to fruition in March.

Meanwhile, Providence has taken over the top spot in the Big East thanks to an 11-1 conference record — and a 21-2 overall mark — and has won eight straight games. Despite this, the team can still be found at +10,000 as a big-time longshot in the tournament. Comparatively, Villanova still sits at +2,500.

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