Top-ranked Duke (23-3) is a 2/1 favorite to win the 2019 NCAA college basketball championship this year, but both North Carolina and Kentucky pulled off a couple of upsets to improve to 8/1 odds.
Gonzaga (25-2) beat Duke earlier in the season at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. The Zags are the second-biggest favorite on the board. Gonzaga is 7/1 odds to win the championship according to the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas. Virginia (22-2) is tied with Duke and North Carolina (20-5) for first place in the ACC. They are 7/1 odds as well.
A pair of SEC teams, Kentucky and Tennessee, are both 8/1 odds to win the title. Tennessee (23-2) tumbled out of the #1 spot after losing to Kentucky (21-4) last weekend.
NCAA College Championship Odds
Duke 2/1
Gonzaga 7/1
Virginia 7/1
North Carolina 8/1
Kentucky 8/1
Tennessee 8/1
Michigan 10/1
Michigan State 10/1
Houston 20/1
Kansas State 20/1
Purdue 20/1
Nevada 25/1
FIELD 75/1
Michigan appeared in the championship game last season. They started the season with an undefeated 17-0 clip, but has struggled as of late. The Wolverines are 10/1 odds along with their rival Michigan State. You can never count Tom Izzo out of the race.
Villanova (20-6), the defending champion, is 35/1 odds to repeat this year. The Wildcats are ranked #17 and are expected to get a #4 seed.
ACC Dominant
The ACC has three teams, Duke, UNC, and Virginia, among the top five overall favorites to win the NCAA championship. The ACC has two teams in the AP Poll Top 5, but perhaps North Carolina could sneak in there in the next poll. The Tar Heels destroyed Duke after Zion Williamson went down with a freak injury after a rare sneaker blowout.
Duke held the top spot for four weeks before they were upset by Syracuse in overtime. Tennessee took a turn at the top for a month before Kentucky picked them off. Duke regained the #1 ranking for a few days before UNC upset them at home.
Meanwhile, Virginia is still plugging away. UVA got crushed by Duke last but still hold down #3 seed.
Mid-Major Value: Nevada and Houston
The Nevada Wolfpack (24-2) and the Houston Cougars (25-1) are competing for the team that gets the most disrespect in the Top 10. They offer the best value on the board with Houston at 20/1 and Nevada at 25/1.
Houston won ten games in a row. They are undefeated at home this season. If you hit the road to play the Cougars, they are going to make you pay. They are a lock to win the American Conference this year, with Cincinnati as their only competition.
Nevada (24-2) is led by the Martin twins. They were riding a ten-game winning streak until an 8-point loss in San Diego against SDSU. The Wolfpack and their stingy defense are still the big dogs in the Mountain West. They are probably the best team out west that is not named Gonzaga.