Men's college basketball betting: Conference winners and value plays - ESPN

Conference play is where college basketball reveals the truth. It's where you see early surprises fade, preseason favorites reassert themselves and futures markets sharpen.

We will find out whether to believe in unbeatens like Vanderbilt and Nebraska, and if preseason top-five teams such as Florida and St. John's bounce back after relatively disappointing starts.

So which teams can be trusted? And which bets are worth making today? Here's some bets to win each of the Power 5 conferences and some other value plays in the mix:

Duke Blue Devils (+100): There's a large gap between the Blue Devils and everyone else in the ACC, and the prices tell reiterate that. Offensively, Duke's premier shotmaking ability will outpace everyone in the conference the rest of the regular season and its positional size creates matchup problems for opposing defenses.

Freshman Cameron Boozer is vying for National Player of the Year honors and the team will continue to lean on him to carry the load. The Blue Devils' schedule plays in their favor as well. They've already beaten Louisville on the road, so the rematch with the Cardinals and their lone matchups with other contenders in Clemson and Virginia are at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Virginia Cavaliers (+320): This season's UVA team is starting to look like those championship-level teams led by Tony Bennett. They are still very strong defensively, coming in at fourth in effective FG% defense and 10th in 3-point shooting defense. But now their offensive efficiency has caught up. The Hoos are 35th in the nation in 3-point shooting and they're playing with some pace, unlike those Bennett teams.

The Cavaliers' schedule also gives them a live shot to win the ACC. They get ranked contender North