Luckiest College Basketball Teams: Analyzing Unexpected Success

Ben Mendelowitz Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

In the thrilling realm of college basketball, where every shot, pass, and steal can make or break a game, luck often plays a role as unpredictable as a three-point buzzer-beater.

To celebrate the proximity of St Patrick’s Day and March Madness, the team at Vegas Insider has set out to identify the luckiest men’s college basketball teams by diving into metrics that highlight unexpected successes:

🏀March Madness Buzzer beaters
🏀March Madness Wins as Underdog
🏀Regular Season Wins Away (current season)
🏀Away Game Points Margin (current season)

Michigan St Spartans - The Luckiest CBB Team?

The mighty Spartans from Michigan State are not just about brawn and brains; they're also basking in the glory of being the luckiest college basketball team. They’ve got not one, not two, but four buzzer-beaters in March Madness. Talk about nailing those heart-stopping moments! Plus, they've bagged four wins as underdogs, showing they've got resilience when it counts most.

This season, the Spartans clinched seven victories in away games, showcasing their prowess on the road. Their impressive +6.1 average point margin in these away games further cements their status.

In this luck-driven ranking, the Spartans lead with a Luck Score of 100.

Teams Ranked 2-10

2. UCLA Bruins

The Bruins have shown they're more than just a pretty team from sunny Los Angeles. With three buzzer-beaters and a whopping eight underdog victories, they thrive in high-pressure situations.

Despite only five away wins and a point margin of -2.2 this season, their Luck Score remains strong at 93.

3. Wisconsin Badgers

Badgers are known for their grit, and Wisconsin lives up to that stereotype with three buzzer-beaters and five underdog triumphs.

They secured six away game wins with a +3.8 margin, which contributes to their Luck Score of 86.

4. VCU Rams

The Rams have pulled off six underdog victories, complemented by two buzzer-beaters.

They managed seven away wins with a +7.2 point margin, leading to their Luck Score of 80.

5. Michigan Wolverines

True to their fighting spirit, the Wolverines have recorded three buzzer-beaters and three underdog wins.

They achieved seven away wins with a +3.4 margin, contributing to their Luck Score of 79.

6. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Gonzaga amplifies the power of two buzzer-beaters with four underdog victories.

An impressive seven away wins and a top-tier +11.2 point margin give them a solid Luck Score of 74.

7. Villanova Wildcats

Three buzzer-beaters and five underdog victories sound great, but their road game performance isn't quite there; they secured only three away wins with a -1.9 margin, hence the Luck Score of 74.

8. UConn Huskies

With two buzzer-beaters and four underdog victories under their belt, UConn shows promise.

They grabbed seven away wins with a +1.6 point margin, contributing to a Luck Score of 67.

9. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas managed three buzzer-beaters and three March Madness upsets. With four away wins and a -2.6 margin this season, their Luck Score stands at 67.

10. Duke Blue Devils

Despite fewer buzzer-beaters, Duke secured a remarkable nine away game wins with a +17.2 point margin, highlighting their dominance on the road and giving them a Luck Score of 65.

Although luck perhaps doesn’t directly influence betting, maybe this ranking might help you pick your March Madness bracket this year!

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Methodology

To spotlight the luckiest teams, we dug deep into metrics that depict unexpected success on the court. Our objective was to craft a clear picture of which teams enjoy a stroke of luck in their favor. We sourced our data from:

• Buzzer Beaters: Last-second game saviors, captured from reliable sports sources.
• Away Points Margin: The measure by which teams excel in away games.
• Wins Away: Tally of games won on the road.
• Wins as an Underdog: Statistics on victories achieved against the odds.

We scaled each factor contributing to luck between 0 and 1.

Our secret sauce? A Luck Score calculated by blending Buzzer Beaters (×0.4), Wins as Underdog (×0.25), Wins Away (×0.2), and Away Points Margin (×0.15).

You can find the full dataset here.

Sources:

Buzzer Beaters: Last-second game-winning shots were obtained from Sports-reference.com

Away Points Margin: The average scoring margin for away games was taken from TeamRankings.com

Wins Away: The total number of wins in away games was retrieved from TeamRankings.com

Wins as an Underdog: Data on games won by teams despite being underdogs was compiled from Wikipedia

Ben Mendelowitz

Ben Mendelowitz is a digital marketing expert who excels in digital PR across industries like finance, crypto, and iGaming. With a background in international political economy, he understands market dynamics and has a knack for creating high quality that garners attention. Ben is also committed to mentoring his team and collaborating closely with content creators and SEO specialists. More from Ben Mendelowitz