The college basketball tournament is a week away and the Duke Blue Devils (26-5) continue to be the March Madness betting favorite to win the title this season even though Zion Williamson missed several games with a knee injury, meanwhile ACC foes Virginia (28-2) and North Carolina (26-5) are the other two popular favorites.
According to the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, Duke slightly decline from 2/1 odds to 9/4 odds, which is +225 on the moneyline. North Carolina swept Duke, who essentially played both games without superstar Zion Williamson.
Williamson is expected to play in the ACC Tournament this week, but he’s still listed as day-to-day. Duke has enough talent with Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett to advance to the Final Four without Williamson. However, the Blue Devils title odds look a lot stronger with him in the lineup than without.
The defending champion Villanova Wildcats are 60/1 odds to repeat as champions this year.
MARCH MADNESS ODDS
Duke 9/4
Gonzaga 9/2
Virginia 6/1
North Carolina 10/1
Tennessee 12/1
Kentucky 12/1
Michigan State 12/1
Michigan 16/1
Texas Tech 18/1
Purdue 30/1
Kansas State 30/1
Houston 40/1
Nevada 50/1
Gonzaga (29-2), the top team in the country, are the second-best favorite on the board at 9/2. The Big Ten teams are in the middle of the pack. Michigan State is the highest at 12/1 odds. Michigan, who went to the championship last year, is 16/1. Purdue (23-8) had a sensational season, but they are 30/1 odds. No one expected the Boilermakers to top the Big Ten this season, so perhaps they can fly under the radar in the tournament.
ACC Heavy
There are three teams from the ACC in the AP Top 5 right now with Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia representing the best of the best. UVA and UNC tied for first place with a 16-2 conference record. UVA held a tiebreaker over UNC, so they were awarded the #1 seed in the ACC tournament. UNC is the #2 seed, while Duke is third.
All three teams were awarded double byes into the quarterfinals. The ACC Championship takes place onm Saturday, March 16 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Carolina-based teams, Duke or UNC, will have a de facto home game if they reach the finals against Virginia.
SEC at 12/1
Pick your poison when it comes to March Madness betting. Youth vs. Experience. Tennessee (27-4) and their upperclassman, or Kentucky (26-5) and their one-and-done all-star squad. Both SEC schools are 12/1 odds to win the NCAA title this year. Kentucky won their first meeting by 17 points, but Tennessee crushed the Wildcats in the rematch.
Kentucky is led by PJ Washington, but who knows which player on this very young Kentucky squad will blossom into an NBA superstar. Washington is averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He’s hitting 52 percent of all his shots, including 42 percent from three-point land. Tyler Herro is second in scoring with 14.2 points per game.
Tennessee is led by Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. Williams leads the Vols with 19.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Schofield is putting up 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.
The SEC tournament begins this week. Both Kentucky and Tennessee were competing for a #1 seed, but it looks like it’s Kentucky in contention with North Carolina and Duke for the coveted top seed.
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