NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Betting Update: Gonzaga Back at the Top

NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Betting Update: Gonzaga Back at the Top

We are in full swing of the conference season and before we know it, Selection Sunday will be here. We have had multiple shifts inside the AP Polls and at the top of the rankings. Gonzaga opened the season with the best odds to win and the #1 team in the AP Poll and after half the season, they still have the best odds and the #1 spot in the rankings. Let’s take a look at our updated NCAA Basketball National Championship Odds and who may be in it, to win it this season. 

Updated Men’s College Basketball Championship Odds

Gonzaga Bulldogs +600

The current favorite to win the NCAA Championship is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They have jumped the previous favorite for the last two weeks, the Baylor Bears. The Bulldogs started the season as the favorite to win it all and as of the recent odds, they still are. Can they hold onto those odds for the rest of the season?

With a current record of 14-2 on the season, it would be very surprising to see Gonzaga lose a game the rest of the year. They play in the weakest conference of any ranked team and they should dominate the WCC as they have for years. The next two games for the Bulldogs are Televised games on CBS Sports Network. We will have the chance to see the Bulldogs up close to see how they handle big games.

Gonzaga may have the best duo of players in all of the NCAA. Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme have been leading the way for the Bulldogs so far this season. Timme leads the team in points per game, averaging 18.6 points. Holmgren leads the team in rebounds averaging 8.5 per game. 

With the weak conference schedule, Gonzaga will more than likely win another conference championship and be headed for the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. If the Bulldogs are able to stay undefeated they will continue to be favored to win it all.

Baylor Bears +900

Baylor had a rough week last week, but they bounced back nicely with a road win at West Virginia. They were the NCAA champions last year and are looking to win back-to-back championships. Going back-to-back would be the first time it has happened since Florida in 2006 and 2007. The Bears have a good team once again this season and it would be smart to bet on them again this season. 

The Bears started the season 15-0 but lost two conference games in a row against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Baylor Bears still have to play Kansas twice this season and they do have one non-conference game left against top-ranked Alabama. The Big 12 Conference is going to be a gauntlet to play in this season, so the tough road is far from over for Baylor. 

The scoring for the Bears has been paced by James Akinjo, as he has averaged 13.9 points per game. LJ Cryer has had a great season for himself as well. He is averaging 13.9 points as well and helps facilitate the offense with Akinjo. The Bears will be a very tough team to beat and would be a smart bet to win the National Championship. 

Purdue Boilermakers +1200

The favorite out of The Big Ten this week is the Purdue Boilermakers after a big double-overtime win against Illinois on Monday. The Boilermakers have a big man duo that may match Gonzaga’s. With Zach Edey and Trevion Williams, Purdue will be a very tough team to match up with. 

The Boilermakers also have two guards that can be playmakers. Jaden Ivey, who is getting National Player of the Year attention, and Sasha Stefanovic, one of the best three-point shooters in the country, can be very dangerous. Both played influential roles in the win against Illinois. 

The one knock on Purdue is if they fail to get the inside game going, they may not have enough guard depth to make up for it. The bread and butter for Purdue is working through Edey and Williams. Teams looking to take down Purdue will have to outrebound them and force both their bigs off the blocks if they want to win.  


 

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