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Despite seeing their No. 1 national ranking take a bit of a tumble the last couple of weeks to their current, fourth overall ranking, the Duke Blue Devils and their ballyhooed trio of superstar freshmen remain the prohibitive odds favorites to win the national championship. Whether you like Duke or prefer another legitimate title contender or even a long shot, then you need to know what’s going on with the top contenders to win it all once March Madness gets underway in just over a week.

Okay, let’s get started.

Updated 2019 College Basketball Championship Odds – March 11th

Odds to win 2019 College Basketball Championship

Duke 9/4
Gonzaga 5/1
Virginia 13/2
Kentucky 10/1
Tennessee 10/1
North Carolina 12/1
Michigan 14/1
Michigan State 14/1
Texas Tech 22/1
Nevada 30/1
Purdue 30/1
Houston 40/1
Kansas 40/1
Kansas State 45/1
LSU 45/1
Marquette 45/1
Iowa State 50/1
Villanova 50/1
FSU 70/1
Virginia Tech 70/1
Maryland 80/1
Buffalo 85/1
Louisville 85/1
Syracuse 85/1
Washington 85/1
Wisconsin 85/1
Auburn 100/1
Cincinnati 100/1
Wofford 100/1
Iowa 150/1
Mississippi State 150/1
Baylor 200/1
Texas 200/1
Florida 250/1
Ole Miss 250/1

Duke

The Duke Blue Devils (26-5) rank seventh nationally in scoring (84.1 ppg), but they’ve dropped three of their last six games and don’t look nearly as daunting as they did a few weeks back.

Gonzaga

I’ve said it since before the start of the regular season and I’ll say it again, the experienced and deep Gonzaga Bulldogs look like a team that could not only beat Duke, but put the Blue Devils away solidly! Gonzaga leads the nation in scoring (89.8 ppg) and limits the opposition to just 64.9 points per game defensively (33rd). While the Bulldogs do play a bunch of inferior competition in the mediocre West Coast Conference, this is a team that is loaded with talent, has an excellent head coach and plenty of postseason experience on their roster. For me, the Zags are the favorites to win it all!

Virginia

The Virginia Cavaliers (28-2) own the nation’s best defense for the second straight season (54.6 ppg) and that alone means they should challenge for this year’s national championship one year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to ever lose to a No. 16 seed. If the Cavaliers can score the ball even halfway decently once March Madness gets underway, then they look like they’re going to be very difficult to beat – even if both of their losses this season have come against Duke.

Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats (26-5) have the look of a much-improved team lately and one that is set to challenge for the national championship. However, I’m going to advise you to use some caution simply because this team lacks experience – and depth – seeing as how they have just four double-digit scorers and their next highest scorer averages just 7.8 points per game. I’m going to say that a lack of experience and quality reserves is going to doom John Calipari’s championship hopes.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Vols (27-4) are exceptional at both ends of the court in ranking 18th in scoring (82.3 ppg) and 74th in points allowed (67.6 ppg). Still, this is a team that has suffered three of its four losses this season since Feb. 16. Maybe their recent struggles ignites a flame that carries them to a deep tourney run and maybe it signifies that Tennessee isn’t quite ready for prime time. I’m going with the former as opposed to the latter.

North Carolina

The North Carolina Tar Heels (26-5) rank a fantastic third in scoring (86.6 ppg) and are riding high at just the right time. Carolina has beaten Duke twice this season to cement their status as a legitimate national championship favorite even if they did get smacked around by Virginia in their only meeting this season.

Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines (26-5) rank third nationally in points allowed (58.8 ppg) but they often struggle to score (70.4 ppg) and that means they’re going to have trouble against a team that is elite at both ends of the floor.

Michigan State

The Michigan State Spartans (25-6) have beaten Michigan twice this season and they’ve recorded some other quality wins, but this is also a team that has fallen to Indiana (twice) and Illinois over their last 10 games and that certainly doesn’t bode well heading into conference championship play.

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Updated 2019 College Basketball Championship Odds – March 11th

Updated 2019 College Basketball Championship Odds – March 11th

Odds to win 2019 College Basketball Championship