Updated NCAA Basketball Championship Odds - March 9th

Updated NCAA Basketball Championship Odds – March 9th

The conference tournaments are underway in NCAA men’s basketball right now — which means that we’re less than a week away from the opening round of the 68-team tournament that will determine the national championship. In the early going, we’ve seen some teams lose early in conference tournament play and see their likelihood of making the Big Dance drop significantly, such as Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee State, Washington and maybe even Arizona State. Take a look at the latest betting odds to win the national championship, along with some of our thoughts about each team.

Updated NCAA Basketball Championship Odds – March 9th

Villanova

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 9/2
The Wildcats keep powering on, winning their quarterfinal in the Big East over Marquette with ease, 94-70. It helped that Villanova knocked down 11 three-balls in the second half. Mikal Bridges led the way with 25 points, and Jalen Brunson put up 21. It was an emphatic statement against a Marquette team that was looking to establish their own tournament resume.

Duke

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 5/1
These low odds have a lot to do with Duke’s historical reputation as well as their solid performance this season; many teams with the number of questionable losses that Duke has are a lot further down this list. Duke did shellack Notre Dame in the ACC quarterfinals on Thursday, 88-70, setting up a semifinal matchup with North Carolina for Friday night. Take a look at how Duke comports themselves in this game as you consider your betting strategy.

Virginia

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 6/1
Virginia made another step to quell that reputation of folding in big games, as they dealt Louisville a 75-58 beating in the ACC quarterfinals. They have a 29-2 record now and have one of the most consistent records in college basketball — in one of the toughest conferences. Their next test will be Clemson in the semifinals and, if they get by the Tigers, the winner of UNC and Duke.

Michigan State

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 8/1
These odds are, like Duke’s, a product of reputation from the past as well as performance from this year. They did win the Big Ten regular season title but fell to Michigan in the conference tournament semifinals, a game in which the Wolverines established themselves as the more physical team and played better defense. Michigan State needs to figure out how to regain that edge in the Big Dance.

Michigan

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 9/1
Michigan upset Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament semifinals and then took down Purdue in the championship, winning 75-66. They’re peaking at the right time and have that edge in their defensive game. Now there’s a pretty long layoff before the national tournament begins — can they avoid the rust?

Kansas

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 10/1
Kansas brought Oklahoma State’s Big 12 tournament run to an end with an 82-68 win in the quarterfinals, behind a career-best 30 points from Malik Newman and 13 points from Svi Mykhailiuk. The Jayhawks still look like a team that lacks elite speed and depth, but they keep winning.

North Carolina, Purdue

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 12/1
The Tar Heels looked solid in their win over Miami in the ACC quarterfinals, rolling to an 82-65 result. Now they have their third shot at Duke in the semis, a team with whom they split during the regular season. Purdue fell on Sunday in the Big Ten Championship and will now have a long time to think about that loss as they prepare for March Madness.

Wichita State

  • 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: 14/1
Wichita State lost by a point to Cincinnati in the finale to the American Athletic Conference regular season, and they have lost a lot more conference games than people thought they would, falling to SMU and Cincinnati at home, and Houston and Temple on the road. It’s hard to say how the Shockers will respond once they hit elite play in the Big Dance, so I’m surprised by these odds. I’m also surprised at Cincinnati’s relatively favorable odds, given the beating they took at Xavier earlier in the season.
  • Florida, West Virginia, Arizona, Xavier, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Texas Tech 20/1
  • Kentucky, Gonzaga 25/1
  • Auburn, Ohio State 33/1
  • Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Texas A&M 40/1
  • St. Mary’s (CA), Rhode Island, Clemson, Penn State (50/1)
  • UCLA, Baylor, Seton Hall, TCU, Texas, Arizona State (66/1)