Which teams are favourites to win NCAA Basketball Championship
If you love college basketball and love betting on March Madness, you already know what time it is. We are approaching the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s largest basketball tournament, one of the most talked about sporting events in the country.
At March Madness, 64 teams will have a chance to win the national title, but there can only be one winner. Year after year, March Madness has given us plenty of high-profile basketball, drama, and controversy, and this year will be no exception.
Last year, the bottom four included the Kansas Jayhawks, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels and Villanova. The Jayhawks and UNC advanced to the Finals, with the former emerging victorious to claim their sixth national championship.
With March Madness just under two months away, here’s a look at the most favored team to win the National Championship, complete with odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook:
Houston +550
Kansas +800
Purdue +1000
UCLA +1100
Alabama +1100
Tennessee +1600
Virginia +2000
Gonzaga +2400
Arizona +2400
Connecticut +2400
Texas +2400
Xavier +3000
TCU +3000
Baylor +3500
State of Iowa +4000
North Carolina +4500
Kentucky +5000
Marquette +5000
Kansas State +5000
Arkansas +5000
Duke +5000
Make a case for some top favorites
#1 Houston Cougars (+550)
Houston is the current favorite to win March Madness for obvious reasons. Since head coach Kelvin Sampson took over five seasons ago, the Cougars have been one of the best college basketball teams in the country.
Houston put the college basketball world on notice last year with an Elite Eight finish. Pretty impressive, considering they were without top scorer Marcus Sasser and keeper Traon Mark through injury.
Fast forward to this season, and with healthy Sasser and Mark on the roster, as well as a five-star rookie in Jarace Walker, the Cougars are clearly the team to beat. They are 18-1 this season and sit quite comfortably atop the American Athletic Conference standings.
Perhaps the Cougars’ greatest asset is their defense. Last season, they allowed third-fewest points and ranked fourth in overall defensive rankings. This season, the defense is averaging nine steals and five blocks per game and giving up just 51.5 points per game.
Kansas Jayhawks, No. 2 (+800)
The defending champions entered last year’s Finals as favorites against UNC and will be hoping to repeat as champions in style.
No. 2 Kansas may look a bit like a shadow of its own championship after losing five of its key players in the offseason, but the team still has Dajuan Harris and Jalen Wilson. The latter has averaged 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists this season.
Kansas is 16-2 so far, with both losses coming to No. 22 Tennessee and No. 13 Kansas State. However, the Jayhawks’ next seven games might give us a better idea of what the team is really about as March Madness approaches; they twice face No. 13 Iowa, No. 14 TCU, No. 7 Texas and Kansas State.
UCLA Bruins No. 5 (+1100)
UCLA had a great season last year, finishing the season with a 27-8 record and ranking No. 11. The Bruins clinched the 4th seed in March Madness and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round, but fell short against the Tar Heels.
Head coach Mick Cronin will be without last season’s top scorer Johnny Juzang, but seniors like Jamie Jaquez and David Singleton and juniors like Jaylen Clark have been excellent so far this season. Amari Bailey and Adem Bona, both freshmen, also made their respective mark on the team.
The Bruins are 16-2 so far and on a 13-game winning streak since losing to Illinois and Baylor earlier this season.
#9 Tennessee Volunteers (+1600)
Rick Barnes has completely transformed this team since taking charge in 2015, making it one of the best teams in the Southeastern Conference. The Volunteers have played in the last six March Madness tournaments and have been no less than a top 5 seed during that time.
And it looks like that streak is alive and well this season, as Tennessee currently has the best defensive rating in college basketball. Additionally, the seniors have a great offensive streak, while freshman Julian Phillips and sophomore Zakai Zeigler are rising to the occasion.
Tennessee is 15-3 this season, losing to Colorado, Arizona and, most recently, Mississippi.
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