College basketball national championship odds are starting to percolate, with college football in the rearview mirror and March Madness on the horizon. No real surprise, Gonzaga is atop the NCAA Tournament odds market, reloading after reaching last year’s title game and falling to Baylor.
Equally unsurprising, a few of the usual bluebloods are near the top of the odds board, including Duke and Kansas. And Baylor, aiming for a repeat, is still in the mix despite suffering its first two losses of the season last week.
BetMGM sports trader Christian Cippolini helps Props.com dive into college basketball futures odds and current action.
2021-22 College Basketball National Championship Odds
| Teams | Odds |
| Gonzaga | +550 |
| Duke | +800 |
| Purdue | +800 |
| Baylor | +1,200 |
| Kansas | +1,200 |
| Auburn | +1,400 |
| Arizona | +1,600 |
| Kentucky | +1,800 |
| UCLA | +2,000 |
| Villanova | +2,000 |
| Illinois | +2,500 |
| Texas | +3,000 |
| Houston | +4,000 |
| LSU | +4,000 |
| Michigan | +4,000 |
| Texas Tech | +4,000 |
| Wisconsin | +4,000 |
Odds via BetMGM and updated as of 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 17.
Favored Status
Gonzaga opened the season atop BetMGM’s March Madness odds board, and that’s where the Bulldogs sit in mid-January (although their odds have dipped from +600 to +500). The Zags are 14-2 SU (9-7 ATS), and their two losses — while both upsets — came early in the season against respectable opposition.
Gonzaga took on Duke at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 26 and fell 84-81 as an 8.5-point chalk. Eight days later in a quasi-neutral-site game in Seattle, the Bulldogs couldn’t keep up with Alabama in a 91-82 setback laying 10 points. Since then, the Zags have won seven straight, most notably a 69-55 neutral-site win over Texas Tech as 10.5-point faves.
The Bulldogs this week are back atop the AP Top 25 poll after falling from No. 1 in Week 3 and dipping to No. 5 in Week 5. Gonzaga getting that elusive national title would be an ideal result at BetMGM.
“The Zags are fine for us. They’ve been the betting favorite since the market opened,” Cipollini said.
No. 4 Purdue and No. 6 Duke are the +800 co-second choices, and Cipollini said both are drawing interest.
Purdue (15-2 SU, 9-8 ATS) posted impressive nonconference wins on back-to-back days, beating North Carolina and Villanova on Nov. 20-21, respectively. And in one of the more entertaining games in conference play thus far, the Boilermakers on Monday went to Illinois as 1.5-point pups and won 96-88 in double overtime.
Duke (14-2 SU, 9-5-2 ATS) has that aforementioned upset of Gonzaga as its biggest achievement to date, as well as a season-opening neutral-site win over Kentucky.
Damaging Dark Horses
Auburn and Arizona began the season as under-the-radar dark horses. Some two months later, they’re ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the AP poll.
The Tigers are 16-1 SU and a very impressive 13-4 ATS. Their only SU loss came in a Nov. 24 neutral-site shootout against UConn, a 116-109 double-overtime defeat as 2.5-point pups. Auburn has since peeled off 13 consecutive wins (11-2 ATS).
The Wildcats (14-1 SU, 9-5-1 ATS) were dealt their lone setback Dec. 22 at Tennessee, 77-73 getting 1 point.
“Auburn and Arizona opened at 50/1, and both are looking pretty good at this point of the season,” Cipollini said.
Indeed, Auburn is now the +1,400 sixth choice on BetMGM’s college basketball national championship odds board. Arizona is next in line, sitting seventh at +1,600. Both are creating concern for the trading room.
“Arizona and Auburn are our biggest liabilities,” Cipollini said.
Best For The Bookies
While Gonzaga cutting down the nets in New Orleans in early April would be a favorable result for BetMGM, the book would fair even better if several other teams were to win it all.
“Baylor, Kansas, ‘Nova, and UCLA are the best outcomes for the book,” Cipollini said.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the reigning national champion as a good outcome behind the counter. Baylor rolled over Gonzaga 86-70 in last season’s title game, ruining the Bulldogs’ perfect season. The Bears then busted out of the gate this year at 15-0 SU, spending five weeks atop the AP poll.
But Baylor (15-2 SU, 9-7-1 ATS) hit speed bumps last week, suffering back-to-back home losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Bears, laying double digits in both games, fell to Texas Tech 65-62 and Oklahoma State 61-54.
No. 5 Baylor is now the +1,200 co-fourth choice along with No. 7 Kansas (14-2 SU, 8-7-1 ATS). The Jayhawks opened the year with an 87-74 neutral-site win over Michigan State and are currently on a 10-1 SU run.
Kentucky (14-3, 9-8 ATS) has won seven of its last eight and is the eighth choice at BetMGM (+1,800), followed by UCLA and Villanova (both +2,000). UCLA (11-2 SU, 5-7-1 ATS), which lost an overtime thriller to Gonzaga in last season’s Final Four, got belted by the Zags 83-63 as a 7-point neutral-site ‘dog Nov. 23. But the No. 9 Bruins are 6-1 SU since that loss.
No. 11 Villanova (13-4 SU, 11-6 ATS) got flattened in back-to-back mid-December road games at Baylor and Creighton. But since then, the Wildcats have been perfect on the floor and at the betting window, going 6-0 SU and ATS.