UConn is the favorite in March Madness odds and rightfully so.
The Huskies have the nation's best record at 31-3, knocked off No. 10 Marquette 73-57 in the Big East Tournament Final, and of course are the reigning champs after beating San Diego State last year ago as a four seed — will they be the first team to repeat since Billy Donovan's Gators won in '06 and '07?
2024 March Madness Championship Odds
Team | Odds |
---|---|
Connecticut Huskies | +400 |
Houston Cougars | +600 |
Purdue Boilermakers | +650 |
Arizona Wildcats | +1600 |
Auburn Tigers | +1800 |
Tennessee Volunteers | +1800 |
Creighton Bluejays | +2200 |
Iowa State Cyclones | +2200 |
Marquette Golden Eagles | +2200 |
Illinois Fighting Illini | +2500 |
Odds as of March 19th, 2024 00:29am EDT. |
The bracket 🙌 pic.twitter.com/X5pG3A8PlI
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2024
UConn head coach Dan Hurley has had quite the path to the top with the Huskies failing to get beyond the Round of 64 in his first four years. However, when the dam broke and the Huskies broke through that opening round, they went on to win the National Championship and are now ranked No. 1 in the nation vying for a chance to cut down the nets again.
Stetson is the unlucky foe to face UConn on Friday and are 26.5 point underdogs or +2000 on the moneyline if you think it can pull off another No. 16 seed upset over a No. 1 seed.
Long Shots In The March Madness Odds
There's one team that is sticking out to me from a value perspective and that is the Iowa State Cyclones at +2000. T.J. Otzelberger coached his squad to a 27-7 record, the school's best since a 28-8 campaign in 2014, and the first Big 12 Tournament Championship since 2019.
The Cyclones have never advanced beyond the Final Four and have only reached that point once, wayyyy back in 1944 so cashing our +2000 ticket would be historic. The path may be difficult with the aforementioned 2023 national championship teams, UConn and San Diego State, both in this East Region of death.
Last 10 College Basketball National Champions
Year | Team | Preseason Odds |
---|---|---|
2023 | UConn | +8000 (28) |
2022 | Kansas | +1400 (7) |
2021 | Baylor | +800 (1) |
2019 | Virginia | +1350 (6) |
2018 | Villanova | +2700 (7) |
2017 | North Carolina | +1900 (8) |
2016 | Villanova | +2500 (10) |
2015 | Duke | +900 (4) |
2014 | UConn | +6500 (14) |
2013 | Louisville | +700 (2) |
With their 2023 March Madness win, UConn joins the Villanova Wildcats as the only two-time champion in the last ten years. Coincidentally, the Huskies have the longest odds to win a championship on this list. In 2014, they had the 14th-longest odds at +6500 and this year they had the 28th-longest odds at +8000. As you know, they won both times, so disrespect UConn at your peril.
NCAA Basketball Teams with the Most Titles
School | # Championships Won | Years |
---|---|---|
UCLA | 11 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
Kentucky | 8 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
North Carolina | 6 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
Duke | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
Indiana | 5 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
UConn | 5 | 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023 |
Kansas | 4 | 1952, 1988, 2008, 2022 |
Villanova | 3 | 1985, 2016, 2018 |
Holding the league record for March Madness titles and longest win streak (seven years), the UCLA Bruins are the clearcut college ball champion. I mean, the John R. Wooden Award for Player of the Year is named after their head coach during that insane streak – what more of a legacy could you ask for?
Trailing UCLA are the Kentucky Wildcats and UNC’s Tar Heels with an impressive eight and six titles respectively – this year, UCLA is further down the odds list than either of these teams. It’ll be a few years before they can be dethroned, but there are undoubtedly expectations for UCLA to keep producing and earn their first title since 1995.
March Madness Betting Trends
Finding trends and patterns in bets is our specialty -- if you want to be a great handicapper, it should be yours too! We've come to know the NCAA's National Championship as a chaotic and exciting event where anyone can walk away with a title, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few trends to keep your eye on. Before placing a March Madness futures wager, check out these betting trends:
How to Bet on March Madness
Betting on March Madness has become increasingly popular for even the most casual of college ball fans. The most common option for the tournament is selecting the overall winner by making a March Madness futures bet – nice and simple, all you have to do is pick the correct 1/68. Easy, right? There are other options for futures too, like selecting the Final Four or individual conference winners.
Of course, when the actual tournament is going on, it’ll be a free-for-all just like the regular season. Each game will have its moneylines, spreads, totals and props – if you need a refresher on how to bet on college basketball, take a look at our guide and review a few key handicapping tools like NCAAB computer picks and public consensus data.
Where to bet on the March Madness
March Madness and betting are synonymous with each other – even your coworkers and elderly neighbors have some sort of pool going to predict the winner. Because of that popularity, you’ll find March Madness odds and matchups available on any major sportsbook under the NCAAB section.
If you need any advice on what to look for in a college basketball betting site, check out our sportsbook reviews for sites that offer NCAAB action!
Understanding The Odds To Win The NCAA Championship
If you’re interested in March Madness futures, you’re likely looking to bet on the outright winner of the tournament. Like the odds table at the top of the page, odds will usually look like this:
These odds tell you the likelihood and corresponding payout of one of these teams winning a national championship. Unlike a moneyline bet, where there is a clear favorite represented by a minus sign (-), the team with the lowest odds would be the favorite. In our example, it’s Gonzaga, and the rest are underdogs even though each team has a plus sign (+) prefacing its odds.
If you were to bet $100 on the Gonzaga Bulldogs and they won, your sportsbook would reward you with $200 in profit for a $300 total win. Betting on a long-shot winner like UCLA at +2500 would earn you $2500 on that same bet – the profits are much higher the further you go down the table, but so is the risk.
To see how much you’d win on the futures odds, check out our Odds Calculator. It’ll show you what your payout would be based on the odds and amount wagered. Don’t forget you can also make selections on which teams will make the Final Four, who will win each conference, and which player will take home the John R. Wooden Award for Player of the Year in the regular season.