NCAA Men's Championship Odds: Field is Wide Open

NCAA Men's Championship Odds: Field is Wide Open
© USA Today

Gone are the days when the Gonzaga Bulldogs or Baylor Bears were perennial favorites leading up to March. 

For the 2022-23 season, parity has ruled college basketball

Upsets have been commonplace, with numerous teams failing to hang on to the No. 1 spot. The Houston Cougars, Alabama Crimson Tide and Purdue Boilermakers have each shared the top spot in the polls and each team has been there in the past three weeks.  

The betting board has reflected this parity throughout the season. Houston opened as the favorite at +800 and has remained steady around that mark, including at +650 at FanDuel. But in the last five years, it’s the first time there hasn’t been a larger favorite at this point in the season. Each of those seasons had a team listed at lower odds +600 or lower. 

  • 2018: Michigan State (+600)
  • 2019: Duke (+210)
  • 2020: Kansas (+450)
  • 2021: Baylor (+300), Gonzaga (+300), Michigan (+400)
  • 2022: Gonzaga (+400)

The only team to win a title from that group was Baylor in 2021, with the 2020 Kansas team not getting a chance to contend due to the tournament being canceled.  

The Favorite 

Houston is listed as the betting favorite to win it all, and it aligns with the college basketball advanced metrics. The Cougars are ranked as the No. 1 most efficient team in KenPom, Barttorvik and hold the top spot in the NCAA Net rankings. 

If traditional stats are more your thing, Houston allows the fewest points per game in the country at 55.9 and is second behind Tennessee in opponent's field goal percentage (35.9%).  

The Cougars also have a potential lottery pick in forward Jarace Walker along with a veteran backcourt of Marcus Sasser, Tramon Mark and Jamal Shead. Overall, the pieces are there for Houston.  

NCAA Tournament: Odds to win
Saturday 25th March 2023
BetMGM Caesars Bet365 DraftKings FanDuel FOX Bet
 
% Chance
Houston Cougars 15.38%
--
--
+550 +475 +500
--
Alabama Crimson Tide 11.11%
--
--
+750 +650 +800
--
Kansas Jayhawks 7.69%
--
--
+900 +1200 +1000
--
Purdue Boilermakers 7.69%
--
--
+1100 +1000 +1200
--
UCLA Bruins 6.67%
--
--
+1200 +1200 +1400
--
Team % Chance Best Odds
HOU
15.38%
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+550 Bet365
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+475 DraftKings
ALA
11.11%
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+800 FanDuel
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+750 Bet365
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+650 DraftKings
KU
7.69%
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+900 Bet365
PUR
7.69%
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+1200 FanDuel
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+1100 Bet365
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+1000 DraftKings
UCLA
6.67%
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No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000
Must be 21+ to participate. T&Cs apply.
+1400 FanDuel
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+1200 Bet365