March Madness Championship Betting Odds
With the calendar having turned over to 2023, the start of March Madness is just over two months away. Right now, the clear favorite to cut down the nets at the Big Dance is the Houston Cougars.
At Bovada Sportsbook, the Cougars are +650 favorites on the March Madness championship futures odds. Houston is 14-1 on the season with its lone loss coming against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Houston the favorite in odds to win NCAA Tournament
Houston has a strong tandem at guard in Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. The Cougars will also essentially be at home if they can make it to the Final Four, which is being played this year in Houston at NRG Stadium. Two knocks against the Cougars are that on the way to March Madness, they’ll face some lesser competition in the AAC, and they’ve only advanced to the Final Four once in the last 28 years.
Following the Cougars on the March Madness futures at Bovada are the Connecticut Huskies at +1100. The Huskies have hit a bump in the road lately, having dropped their last two games vs the Providence Friars and the Xavier Musketeers. The Huskies were favored in both losses, and prior to the mini losing streak they were undefeated.
Connecticut is led by forward Adama Sanogo and guard Jordan Hawkins, who combine to average more than 30 points per game. The Huskies have been snake-bitten in March Madness lately with consecutive first-round exits.
Rounding out the top three on the March Madness futures are three teams all at +1200: the Arizona Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns.
Defending champ Kansas tied for third on oddsboard
Arizona has only one loss this season and boasts a balanced offense with five players averaging double-digit points. Leading the way is Azuolas Tubelis with 20.1 points per game. Arizona was a No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament and bowed out in the Sweet 16.
Kansas is the defending national champion after taking down North Carolina in last year’s final. The Jayhawks will look to be the first repeat champion since the Florida Gators won back-to-back titles in 2006-07. The Jayhawks should have a shot at repeating with leading scorer Jalen Wilson back after he withdrew from last year’s NBA draft.
Texas has made it past the second round of the tournament only twice in its last 10 appearances. The Longhorns have four players who average double digits in points, led by guard Marcus Carr with 18.1 points per game. Circle February 6 on your calendar as Texas plays Kansas that night in a matchup of contenders.
No. 1 Purdue down the odds list coming off first loss
One team conspicuously missing from the top of the March Madness odds is the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue is currently the No. 1 team in the nation but ranks much lower on the odds list at +1800. The Boilermakers’ time atop the Top 25 may be short as they suffered their first loss of the season earlier this week.
The odds on a few other notable schools include the UCLA Bruins at +1400, Kentucky Wildcats at +1600, Alabama Crimson Tide at +1800 and Gonzaga Bulldogs at +1800.