College Basketball: Updated 2024 National Championship Odds as March Madness begins
The NCAA Tournament field is set as it has all 68 of its teams officially in the bracket. All that’s left now is to tip things off on Thursday to get to the Final Four in Phoenix and get our next national champion in college basketball.
With March Madness getting underway in two days, Vegas has updated their odds for this year’s title winner. Three of the four No. 1s are the heaviest favorites while there’s still value to pick out based on the seeds that follow them.
Here’s how FanDuel has their championship odds ahead of the tournament’s start tonight in the First Four from Dayton:
Connecticut Huskies (+370)
Connecticut (31-3) is your No. 1 overall seed and, as such, is your favorite to win the national championship. That’s based on these odds and off of several predictions across the country as the Huskies are the popular, yet chalk, pick to win it all.
If they did it, UConn would be going back-to-back as the defending champions and would be securing their sixth national title with all six coming in the past 25 years and four in the last 13 years. As potentially the ninth team ever to repeat, that’d be quite the accomplishment for them bring back to Storrs.
Houston Cougars (+600)
Houston (30-4) is the second overall team on the seed list and comes in second in Vegas’ odds as well. They’ve earned that spot amongst the top trio after winning the Big 12 in their first year in the conference, even though they’ve been a high seed in their five other tournament appearances under Kelvin Sampson.
However, the Cougars don’t enter the dance on a high note after losing by 28 in the Big 12 Championship. That, among other aspects, has led to at least some doubt in them, including the fact that their South Region includes three other teams who have championship odds in the top dozen.
Purdue Boilermakers (+700)
Purdue (29-4) is the last of the three No. 1 seeds to have hundreds to one odds from FanDuel. They, like Houston, are a No. 1 seed for the second straight year after they won the regular season in the Big Ten.
Now, as we all know, that did not go well after being the second No. 1 in history to ever lose to a No. 16 after falling to Fairleigh Dickinson. They, led by Zach Edey, are now back and headed to Indianapolis to start what they hope could be a redemption run for them out of the Midwest Region.
Arizona Wildcats (+1300)
The West Region is a fascinating one in this bracket, even if the top two seeds are heavily favored over the other 14. It’s even more so when you see that Vegas has Arizona, the No. 2 seed in the region, ahead of North Carolina as the final No. 1.
Even though they were upset as a No. 2 just last year, the Wildcats (25-8) are more than justifiable considering their season-long status, including them winning the regular-season in the Pac-12. Travel also won’t be a concern for them out West with them starting in Salt Lake City before possibly playing in Los Angeles for the regional.
North Carolina Tar Heels (+1700)
North Carolina is the fourth of the four top seeds after edging out Arizona and Tennessee on the seed line. They could have made it more of a certainty had they swept the titles out of the ACC but, even with their loss to NC State, they got the final No. 1 with a record of 27-7.
The Tar Heels have a chance to make up for last season’s struggles by living up to their potential from what they showed in their first year under Hubert Davis. That shot will start in-state in Charlotte before potentially heading cross country to Hollywood for a shot at the Final Four.
Tennessee Volunteers (+1700)
Tennessee (24-8) is in a similar boat to Arizona and North Carolina based on where they were in seeding and how they enter the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers didn’t win their conference tournament after winning its regular-season with a disappointing outing in Nashville their last time out.
Still, although this part of the postseason hasn’t ended how they’ve liked under Rick Barnes, the Vols are very much in the conversation, especially with someone like Dalton Knecht. They find themselves in a favorable spot, by odds and in region, to try and make their second Elite Eight, potentially their first-ever Final Four, and possibly win their first championship.
Iowa State Cyclones (+2000)
Iowa State (27-7) has had a fantastic year in their third season under T.J. Otzelberger with their best seeding under him and trying for their best in program history. However, it may not have been until their last outing that the Cyclones truly got everyone’s attention.
They led by as much as 32 and won by a final score of 69-41 over Houston to win the Big 12 Tournament. That’s the kind of thing that’ll stick in your mind about what they can now do in their tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Region.
Auburn Tigers (+2200)
Auburn (27-7) doesn’t mind being a No. 4 seed, especially considering how the odds view them regardless of seeding. They were just the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament in Music City but went on to win it after defeating Florida in the final on Sunday.
Now, while they’re a No. 4 again, the lowest seed to this point and tied for the lowest seed in the top dozen, in the East Region, they have the eighth-best odds. While that’s not necessarily a favorable position with a potential matchup with UConn after coming back from Spokane, it’s one that the Tigers could take advantage of.
Creighton Bluejays (+2500)
Creighton (23-9) disappointed in the Big East Tournament with a loss in their quarterfinal after closing the regular season on their best run since the start of the year. Still, the Bluejays did enough to earn a No. 3 seed in the Midwest behind Purdue and Tennessee.
The Big East did not get much respect from the selection committee and their teams that did got all of it as only three of them made the tournament and all are +2500 or better to win it. That leaves Creighton in a decent spot to try to come out of Pittsburgh and then Detroit in order to make their first Final Four.
Marquette Golden Eagles (+2500)
Marquette, who split their season series with Creighton, is tied with the Bluejays at +2500 for the eight-best odds on the boards from Vegas. They’re also one of four teams in the South Region to be in the Top-12 in odds with two more still to come.
The Golden Eagles are clearly a quality team at 25-9 after getting to the Big East Championship. However, much of their title chances will fall on the health and status of Tyler Kolek, their point guard and among the best in the nation, after he has missed the past six games.
Duke Blue Devils (+3000)
Duke (24-8), a No. 4 seed in Jon Scheyer’s second season, is the next team out of the South Region on this list. They sit on the top half of that field in Brooklyn for the first round before a potential trip to Dallas would be up next.
After one of their season’s best stretches, the Blue Devils dropped their final two games to North Carolina in Cameron Indoor and then to NC State in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. That leaves them to where they’ll need to find a footing again in order to avoid another loss that, this time, would be season-ending.
Kentucky Wildcats (+3000)
Kentucky (23-9) rounds out the top dozen as the third straight team out of the South Region and the fourth in total from that part of the bracket. While Houston is the favorite as its No. 1 seed, this portion of the field having a third of the teams with the Top-12 odds suggests how wide open that Vegas sees it.
With that being the case, this could be a prime opportunity for the Wildcats, a No. 3 seed, to exorcise their postseason problems since 2020. They haven’t advanced to the second weekend in the past four years but could now have their shot to do so, if not more, with one of the more exciting teams that they’ve had under John Calipari.
Odds through (+15000)
Alabama Crimson Tide: (+3500)
Baylor Bears: (+3500)
Illinois Fighting Illini: (+3500)
Kansas Jayhawks: (+4500)
BYU Cougars: (+5000)
Gonzaga Bulldogs: (+5000)
Wisconsin Badgers: (+6000)
Saint Mary’s Gaels: (+6000)
Florida Gators: (+6500)
Michigan State Spartans: (+6500)
Texas Tech Raiders: (+7500)
San Diego State Aztecs: (+7500)
New Mexico Lobos: (+7500)
Texas Longhorns: (+10000)
Clemson Tigers: (+12000)
TCU Horned Frogs: (+12000)
Nebraska Cornhuskers: (+12000)
Colorado Buffaloes: (+15000)
Washington State Cougars: (+15000)
Texas A&M Aggies: (+15000)
Mississippi State Bulldogs: (+15000)
Florida Atlantic Owls: (+15000)
Dayton Flyers: (+15000)
These team’s shining moment has arrived with only four spots available in Glendale and only one title up to win. That leaves plenty of madness to ensure once all 68 of them of them take the floor, including the eight teams who will start the tournament tonight from UD Arena.