Why There is Plenty of Bark and Bite in the NCAAB National Championship Odds
By: Brent Booher
Outside of Louisville and Seton Hall, the Top 10 remained largely intact from a week ago, and as a result, the only real change we’ve seen at the top of the NCAAB National Championship odds race comes with Kansas becoming a slightly shorter favorite to win the title.
Besides that, it’s largely status quo. However, “Showdown Saturday” looms and the leaderboard could see a bit of a shake-up as a result.
With all that being said, let’s dive into this weeks National Championship futures market.
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Third Best NCAAB National Championship Odds: Baylor Bears/Duke Blue Devils (+1100); No Change from Last Week
Baylor has won 22-games in a row and has been at No. 1 in the rankings for a month now – the longest duration any team has held the top spot in the polls all season.
Despite that, the Bears remain tied with Duke at +1100 with the third-best odds to win the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
However, the biggest game of the season looms on Saturday when No. 1 Baylor hosts No. 3 Kansas with the winner likely having the inside track at the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Should the Bears win that one, you may see them jump to No. 1 in these rankings too.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Duke is currently enjoying a 7-game winning streak of their own, and now sits atop the ACC standings where they look to win their first regular season title since 2010 (a shocking stat in itself).
Should the Dukies close out the season strong, another No. 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament for Coach K seems like a very real possibility.
The Second Best NCAAB National Championship Odds: Kansas Jayhawks (+900); Last Week +1000
It may seem odd to say Kansas is playing the best basketball in the same conference that features the No. 1 team in the land, but Kansas is playing the best basketball in the same conference that features the No. 1 team in the land.
Of course, this can all change on Saturday, but for now Bill Self’s group is red-hot and stud PG Devon Dotson is 100-percent healthy for the first time all season.
A road-win in Waco against Baylor on Saturday would likely not only vault the Jayhawks to the top of both polls, but make them the odds-on favorite to win it all.
The NCAAB National Championship Odds-On Favorite: Gonzaga Bulldogs (+800)
The Zags have done little to dissuade oddsmakers from tabbing them as the favorites to win the National Championship, as for the third-straight week they are listed at +800 to bring the first ever title to Spokane, Washington.
Gonzaga faces one more test this season when they head to Provo on Saturday night to face No. 23 BYU, and a win over the Cougars would pretty much lock the Zags into their status as one of the top three odds-on favorites to win the title.