When you think about Auburn hosting Kentucky in an important SEC showdown, it’s usually football season. However, that’s not the case this year, as Auburn is ranked #2 in the NCAA men’s basketball poll, ten slots ahead of Kentucky. The teams will come in with a combined record of 32-4. Auburn has not been ranked this high in the polls since 2000, but Bruce Pearl has his Tigers riding high right now. They’re still a value pick to win the national championship given their high ranking, and if they can beat Kentucky in front of a nationally televised audience, those sports betting odds to win it all should shrink a bit.
Let’s take a look at the latest Top 25 poll plus College Baketball odds along with our thoughts about some of the sport’s contenders.
NCAA News: Men’s College Basketball Updated Title Odds
Team Odds
| Gonzaga | +600 |
| Duke, Purdue | +800 |
| Baylor, Kansas | +1200 |
| Auburn | +1400 |
| Arizona | +1800 |
| UCLA, Villanova, Kentucky | +2000 |
| Illinois | +2500 |
| Texas | +3000 |
| LSU, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Houston, Wisconsin | +4000 |
| Ohio State, Alabama, USC, Memphis, Tennessee | +5000 |
| UNC, Iowa State | +6600 |
| Connecticut, Florida State, Michigan, Arkansas, Oregon, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Xavier | +8000 |
| Iowa, Providence, Florida, Indiana | +10000 |
| Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Virginia, BYU, St. Bonaventure | +12500 |
In addition to the hype mentioned above, Auburn (17-1) has not posted a 6-0 start to its SEC basketball slate since 1959. That team ended up starting out league play 12-0, so it remains to be seen if these Tigers can reach those dizzying heights. One key stat for this team is the number 152 – that’s how many shots Auburn has blocked, a number that leads the nation.
Gonzaga (14-2) finds itself skating through another easy West Coast Conference season. Usually, BYU and/or St. Mary’s can provide one or two challenging games apiece, but this year it’s San Francisco standing as the Bulldogs’ greatest foil. Gonzaga has started WCC play 3-0, scoring an average of 114 points per game. This is the first time in school history that the team has broken the 100-point barrier in three consecutive games and has broken the 110-point barrier in two straight games.
Arizona (14-1) rolled over Colorado and Utah last week, giving the Wildcats their best 15-game start in seven seasons. The last time Arizona rose to #3 in the national rankings was 2017; on Tuesday, they visit UCLA, which will be a measuring stick, as Bruins coach Mick Cronin is calling out his team after an overtime loss to Oregon. That UCLA tilt will be Arizona’s third road game in five days, and if they make it to 17-1, it’s time to start taking them even more seriously.
Wisconsin (15-2) is off to its best 17-game start in seven seasons, and that team went all the way to the March Madness finals. Since Greg Gard took over as head coach from Bo Ryan, he has won 65% of his games. With 70 or more points in five consecutive Big Ten wins for the first time since 1961-62, this is a team that might not have to settle for grinding out wins. They play Michigan State tomorrow night in a huge showdown.
Kansas (15-2) got down by double digits early at home against West Virginia last weekend but turned the tables and ended up winning by 26. They followed up that win with a big road victory against Oklahoma on Tuesday, on a night when Ochai Agbaji had a miserable night as far as shooting goes. Remy Martin remains a work in progress, but if he can take off, the Jayhawks will become a contender.
Purdue (15-2) won in double overtime at Illinois, and one reason why the Boilermakers are scoring so many points is their free throw rate; at this point in the season, Purdue has attempted 386 free throws, to just 277 for their opponents. On Thursday, Purdue faces Indiana at Assembly Hall, as the teams meet for the 215th time, the most of any rivalry in the Big Ten. Did you know that Purdue has won the last five in a row at Indiana – and that Purdue leads Indiana all time, 124-89?
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