College basketball national championship odds are starting to percolate, with the NFL season almost complete and March Madness on the horizon. No real surprise, Gonzaga remains atop the NCAA Tournament odds market, although the Bulldogs currently sit No. 2 in the AP poll.
What is a surprise is that Auburn is ranked No. 1 and correspondingly has shot up the odds board, creating noteworthy liability for bookmakers.
BetMGM Nevada’s Scott Shelton helps Props.com dive into college basketball futures odds and current action.
2021-22 College Basketball National Championship Odds
| Teams | Odds |
| Gonzaga | +550 |
| Baylor | +1,000 |
| Duke | +1,000 |
| Purdue | +1,000 |
| Auburn | +1,000 |
| Kentucky | +1,200 |
| Kansas | +1,400 |
| Arizona | +1,400 |
| UCLA | +1,600 |
| Villanova | +2,000 |
| Illinois | +2,500 |
| Michigan State | +3,000 |
| Texas Tech | +3,000 |
| Houston | +3,000 |
| Alabama | +3,500 |
| Wisconsin | +4,000 |
| Texas | +4,000 |
Odds via BetMGM and updated as of 1:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 1.
Moving On Up
When March Madness odds first hit BetMGM’s board back in August, Auburn was a nondescript +5,000. In December, you could get an even better price on the Tigers at +6,600. But then, slowly but surely, Auburn’s wins kept coming and couldn’t be ignored in the betting market.
Auburn is now 20-1 and hasn’t lost since a Nov. 24 double-overtime, neutral-site thriller against UConn. And, oh, by the way: The Tigers also rank No. 1 in the nation in the betting standings at 16-5 ATS. Auburn enters its Feb. 1 home game against Alabama on a 17-game SU win streak.
“On Jan. 5, [the Tigers] were 30/1, and they’ve gone to 10/1 in the last four weeks,” Shelton said. “There are a lot of tickets on Auburn. The Tigers are a popular team. As they climbed in the polls, we took a lot more bets.”
Auburn moved from a winning outcome for BetMGM Nevada to now a small loser behind the counter. Nationwide, Auburn is a much more significant liability for BetMGM, as the second-worst outcome in the college basketball national championship odds market.
While Gonzaga remains the favorite at +550, Auburn is now the +1,000 co-second choice, joined by Baylor, Duke and Purdue.
Likewise, Arizona has gained popularity with BetMGM customers, both in Nevada and nationwide. The Wildcats (17-2 SU) also opened at +5,000 and are now the +1,400 co-seventh choice with Kansas.
“A lot of money, a lot of tickets on Arizona,” Shelton said, noting that Arizona is now the book’s worst outcome for BetMGM nationally, with the Wildcats taking the second-most tickets and the most money, At BetMGM Nevada, however, Arizona is actually a decent winner for the book.
Ticket Takers And (Maybe) Money Makers
Gonzaga (17-2 SU) has been fairly stable all season on BetMGM’s college basketball championship odds board. The Zags have hung around the +600 range and, as noted above, are currently +550. In Nevada, Shelton noted a trio of sizable plays on the Bulldogs, all at +600: a $15,000 wager to win $90,000, and a pair of $5,000 bets to win $30,000 each.
“There’s been steady interest in Gonzaga all along. People know Gonzaga is gonna be there at the end, and the bigger bets reflect that,” Shelton said. “They’ll be around, even if they don’t win.”
Ticket and money counts at BetMGM Nevada vary quite a bit from what BetMGM is seeing nationwide. Nationally, Purdue (18-3) is No. 1 in tickets, followed by Arizona and Auburn. As mentioned, Arizona is No. 1 in money wagered on, followed closely by Purdue and Auburn. And Arizona, Auburn and Purdue rank 1-2-3 in liability nationally.
But at BetMGM’s Nevada books?
“Gonzaga is a runaway No. 1 in tickets and Duke is No. 2, followed by UCLA and Kansas,” Shelton said.
And where is the money flowing? “Again, by a mile, Gonzaga is No. 1,” Shelton said. “UCLA would be next, and then Kentucky — but those two aren’t even sniffing Gonzaga’s money.”
UCLA (16-2 SU) is +1,600 and Kentucky (17-4) +1,200 to win college basketball’s national championship.