March Madness Championship Betting: It’s Still UConn
Houston, Purdue Round Out Top Betting Choices
Despite all the upsets in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, all the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are still alive. So it’s no surprise there hasn’t been much movement in the order of the teams before the tournament until now.
The March Madness championship betting odds have the same three NCAAB teams at the top: UConn, Houston, and Purdue. There has been a little bit of movement among a few of the other teams, depending on whether there were upsets in their region.
UConn Huskies +200
The UConn Huskies are still the solid favorite to repeat as NCAA champions. The Huskies entered the tournament as the favorites and have done nothing to lose that spot. UConn is ranked No. 1 in the nation by the KenPom ratings.
The Huskies cruised past Stetson 91-52 to open the tournament and beat Northwestern 75-58. The game with Northwestern wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. UConn played its bench down the stretch, and the Wildcats outscored the Huskies 21-14 in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Huskies have San Diego State, Iowa State and Illinois still alive in their region.
Houston Cougars +550
The Cougars are still the second choice in the college basketball odds, but have a tough game with Duke on Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of NC State and Marquette. Houston was pushed to the limit last time on the court, needing overtime to beat Texas A&M.
That game could serve as a wake-up call. Four of Houston’s five starters fouled out against Texas A&M. That’s been a problem for the Cougars all season long. The defense is one of the best in the nation, however, and if the officials let the college basketball players play, the Cougars will be tough to knock out.
Purdue Boilermakers +650
Purdue remains No. 3 in terms of the March Madness championship betting odds. The Boilermakers have been one of the more impressive teams in the tournament so far. It’s going to be a little different against Gonzaga, however. This isn’t the best Gonzaga team of the last few years, but they still have talent.
The question is if they have somebody who can slow down Zach Edey. The winner of the game will face the winner of Creighton vs Tennessee.
Arizona Wildcats +850
The Wildcats are the only No. 2 seed to have lower odds than the No. 1 team in their region. One reason is Arizona’s game against Clemson is thought to be easier than North Carolina’s game against Alabama.
The NCAA tournament scores show the Wildcats haven’t been more impressive than UNC, but have a more favorable matchup. KenPom has Arizona one point better than the Tar Heels, but Alabama ranked 3.7 points better than Clemson.
North Carolina Tar Heels +1200
The Tar Heels offer decent odds for a No. 1 seed, although it won’t be easy. Even if UNC can get out of the West Region, it will likely face UConn in the semifinals. RJ Davis will need to be on his game when the Tar Heels face Alabama, which has its own big-time player in Mark Sears.
You have to get to the championship game before you can win it, and UNC has one of the most challenging roads of the major contenders.
Tennessee Volunteers +1200
The Volunteers survived a scare last time from Texas, but did enough to get the win. It’s not going to get any easier with a matchup against Creighton. Tennessee can play tough defense, so it’s hard to completely discount the Vols.
A Tennessee win would set up a likely rematch with Purdue. The Boilermakers defeated Tennessee 71-67 when the teams met in November’s free throw exhibition. Purdue attempted 48 foul shots in the game. Tennessee went to the free throw line 30 times.
Marquette Golden Eagles +1600
Marquette plays the lowest remaining seed, No. 11 NC State, in its next NCAAB game, but the Wolfpack are playing well. It’s not going to be an easy game for the Golden Eagles.
The winner of that game will have to play the winner of Houston and Duke, so it’s no surprise Marquette is going off at generous odds. The Golden Eagles are on the other side of the March Madness bracket, just like UConn, so if they face the Huskies, it won’t be until the championship game.
Iowa State Cyclones +2000
The March Madness championship betting odds have Iowa State with the highest price of any of the No. 2 seeds. It’s certainly justified, however, as Iowa State faces a tough Illinois team next and then will likely face UConn to reach the Final Four.
The Cyclones are one of the few teams that can match Houston on the defensive side, but their offense is one of the lowest-rated remaining in the tournament.
Creighton Blue Jays, Duke Blue Devils 
+2200
Creighton and Duke are both +2200 and the Blue Devils are the better of the two, but also have Houston up next. KenPom has the Blue Devils rated No. 6 overall, but the schedule is going to make it tough. Creighton will have to get by Purdue and Tennessee to reach the Final Four. That’s probably asking too much.
Looking at the Field
The remaining teams are all going off at odds of +2500 and higher, with Gonzaga at +2500 and Illinois +3300. Alabama is next at +4000, followed by San Diego State and Clemson at +8000 each. NC State has the highest odds of any remaining team at +10000.
Looking For Value
It’s not easy finding value at this point in the college basketball season. Teams are often at lower odds than their true odds of winning an event. Looking at the NCAAB predictions today, the team most likely worth a play is Houston +550.
The odds imply less than a 20% chance of winning the tournament, which is likely a bit low. With their defense, the Cougars probably win the tournament close to 25% of the time.
For NCAAB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
