Finally, the NCAAB National Championship Odds Settled A Little
For the first time all season, the Top Nine teams in the AP poll remained unchanged. Villanova was the only Top 10 team to lose and that led to a pretty stagnant national championship futures market.
The top teams remain the same as last week, the lone difference being Baylor adjusting from +1000 to +1100 to win the title.
Without further ado, time to assess the current state of the futures market and who oddsmakers believe will cut the nets down in Atlanta this April.
Best Sports Book 2020
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Third Best NCAAB National Championship Odds: Baylor Bears& Duke Blue Devils (+1100)
Baylor entered the week on a 20-game winning streak and have since extended that to 21 games with their win over Texas (Feb. 10) on Monday night.
If Selection Sunday were held today, there’s a very good chance Baylor would be the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Yet, oddsmakers actually dropped their price ever so slightly and they’re now seen as the third most likely team to win the National Championship.
This tells us that the public still isn’t completely sold on Baylor, despite their 22-1 record this season.
Duke is listed in the futures market to win the natty at +1100, just as they were a week ago. The Blue Devils survived a scare from rival North Carolina on Saturday, and since racked up a very impressive win over No. 8 Florida State on Monday.
Given what a common name to the betting public Duke is, and how they’re always expected to go far in March, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Duke moving up the odds list if they continue to win.
Personally? I believe there is better value inside of Duke’s own conference, more on this later.
Second Best NCAAB National Championship Odds: Kansas Jayhawks (+1000)
The Jayhawks continue to be listed at 10-to-1 in the futures market, unchanged from a week ago.
Despite an earlier loss on their home floor to Baylor, oddsmakers and the betting public still favor the Jayhawks ever so slightly over their conference foes.
If Kansas is able to win out to finish the season, there is a very good chance the Jayhawks land the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. In a year where the tournament is completely wide open, coaching and guard play become quite important and the Jayhawks have arguably the best coach/guard tandem in the country.
Top NCAAB National Championship Odds: Gonzaga Bulldogs (+800)
Gonzaga remains the short favorite to win the NCAA Tournament at +800, again unchanged from a week ago.
And it’s no wonder why their odds remained unchanged – that’s what beating St. Mary’s by 30 will do for you.
Gonzaga faces only one real test the rest of the way when they face BYU in Provo in a few weeks, but it’s hard to say what equates to a test in the West Coast Conference.
Look for the Zags futures odds to remain right around where they are, because the Zags losing before the tournament doesn’t seem likely to happen.
Other Teams to Pay Attention to on the NCAAB National Championship Table
- Louisville (NCAAB National Championship Odds: +2000)
Quite frankly, we’re surprised Louisville is still listed at 20-to-1 to win the title. This is a steal on a team that has an inside track to a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
- Dayton (NCAAB National Championship Odds: +1500)
Alright Dayton, you’re legit. Obi Toppin is going to be a handful for teams to deal with in March, and the Flyers are a balanced team without a real weakness to be found.
- San Diego State (NCAAB National Championship Odds: +2200)
Last week the Aztecs were available at 30-to-1 to win the championship. Look, when you can get a 25-0 team at 22-to-1, you should at least consider it for a second. Really though you should have considered this last week when they were 30-to-1.
- Auburn (NCAAB National Championship Odds: +2800)
There’s just something about this team. That unquantifiable trait that some teams just ooze out more than others. Auburn has the makings for a team that makes a long run in the tournament as a gushing Jim Nantz throws out analogies like they’re going out of style. And what’s not to like about a 28-to-1 ticket?
- Marquette (NCAAB National Championship Odds: +6000)
Admittedly, we just really like Markus Howard. And college basketball is just off the wall crazy this year. Why not bet on a 60-to-1 long shot with a dynamo scoring guard?
