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2022 March Madness Odds: Gonzaga (+350), Arizona (+650) Betting Favorites

Pauly McGuire

The NCAA released the brackets for the 2022 March Madness men’s college basketball tournament and it’s not a surprise that #1 Gonzaga is the betting favorite to win the national championship at +350 odds. Arizona (+650 odds), Kentucky (+800), and Duke (+1000) round out the top four teams on the March Madness futures board at DraftKings.

Chet Holmgren, freshman center from Gonzaga, dribbles in transition for the top-ranked Bulldogs. (Image: James Snook/USA Today Sports)

Defending champion Baylor are +1200 odds to successfully win March Madness in back-to-back years.

2022 MARCH MADNESS CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

The 2022 March Madness Final Four begins on April 2 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The championship game is slated for Monday, April 4.

#1 Seeds: Gonzaga, Baylor, Arizona, Kansas

Gonzaga (26-3), Arizona (31-3), Kansas (28-6), and Baylor (26-6) were all awarded the #1 seed this year. Kansas, the #1 seed in the Midwest Regional, is +1100 odds to win the title.

Gonzaga lost in the 2021 March Madness national championship game when they were upended by Baylor, so they’re on a mission to finish off their pursuit of a title. The Zags have never won a championship, but they’ve been the runner-up twice since 2017. Gonzaga is the consensus favorite at +350 odds to finally win March Madness.

History is against Baylor repeating as champions. It’s nearly impossible to win consecutive March Madness titles in the modern NCAA. Florida, under Billy Donovan in 2007 and 2008, is the only school the last 30 years to win back-to-back titles since Duke’s run in 1991 and 1992. Aside from those two schools, UCLA is the only other team in the last half-century to win a championship in multiple seasons in a row. You have to go all the way back to UCLA’s dynasty in the 1960s and early 1970s when John Wooden won seven-straight titles between 1968 and 1973.

Blue Bloods: UK’s OT, Coach K’s Swan Song, UCLA Repeat?

Kentucky (26-7) is typically loaded with talented one-and-done future NBA stars, but this year their top player is a junior. Oscar Tshiebwe (17 ppg) leads the Wildcats in scoring, but he’s the nation’s top rebounder averaging 15.1 boards per game. Kentucky is only +800 odds to win their first March Madness championship since 2012.

Duke (28-6) would love to win one more title for Coach K before he retires at the end of this season. However, Duke looked bad during the last two Saturdays. North Carolina upset them at Duke in the final home coach of Coach K’s career last week. Over the weekend, Duke was also upset in the ACC tournament by Virginia Tech.

Last year, UCLA was a Cinderella story as a bubble team that went from the play-in tournament all the way to the Final 4 as the #11 seed. The UCLA Bruins made history as the first and only team to achieve that feat. Everyone has been paying attention to UCLA (25-7) this season. Thanks to Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez, UCLA were a Top 15 team most of the season. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, UCLA lost in the Pac-12 championship against #2 Arizona. You can back UCLA at +2800 odds to win 2022 March Madness.

Cinderellas: Saint Mary’s, Loyola Chicago, Marquette

There’s something about Catholic schools that go deep in March Madness. With that said, keep an eye on #17 Saint Mary’s (25-7). They play in the West Coach Conference and always have to play second fiddle to Gonzaga, but they could inflict some damage this year. The Gaels earned a #5 seed, and KenPom has them ranked #16 overall in the country. Saint Mary’s are +10000 odds to go the distance.

Shaka Smart made a name for himself with multiple deep runs by VCU back in the day. He’s now the head coach of Marquette (19-12) where he took his third team to the Big Dance. Sometimes you want to take a flier on a head coach in March Madness because they know how to prepare their team to stay alive and advance, especially with a quick turnaround in between rounds. Smart and Marquette are +10000 odds to win the championship.

Sister Jean is 103-years young and she’ll be sweating Loyola Chicago (25-7) once again. The Ramblers return to March Madness in back-to-back years after winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship. Loyola Chicago is a long shot at +15000 odds, but when Sister Jean is your good luck charm, it’s hard to fade them.

Long Shots: San Francisco, Vermont, Yale

At least 25 teams are listed at +25000 odds (aka 250/1) or higher as massive long shots to win the tournament this year. There’s 11 moon shot teams with odds at +100000 odds or 1000/1.

The San Francisco Dons (24-9) are most famous for being the school where Bill Russell won back-to-back titles in the mid-1950s. The Dons got a #10 seed this year, and they’re listed are long shots at +20000 odds to win their first title in 70 years.

Davidson (27-6) is on the map because it’s Steph Curry’s alma mater. The Wildcats earned a #10 seed and get the benefit of playing the first two rounds in Greenville, South Carolina. You can back them at +25000 odds.

Burlington, Vermont is most known for being the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The University of Vermont is located in Burlington and their most famous alumni include members of the psychedelic rock group Phish. Vermont (28-5) is no joke this year, but they drew a #13 seed and have pipe dream odds at +50000 to win March Madness.

Yale (19-11) won the Ivy League tournament, but the selection committee stuck them with a #14 seed. If you want to take a flier on the smart kids, then the Yalies are +50000 odds.

Remember the fan brawl last week? Bryant edged out Wagner to win the NEC championship despite the game being postponed for a half-hour due to fisticuffs in the stands between students from both schools. Bryant (22-9) earned a #16 seed in March Madness and they’re one of the longest moon shots on the board at +100000 odds to win the national championship.