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The Purdue Boilermakers, Houston Cougars, Connecticut Huskies, and Tennessee Volunteers will most likely enter the NCAA Tournament as the four No. 1 seeds.
After winning the NCAA Tournament in 2023, the UConn Huskies hope to win back-to-back championships for the first time since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007.
“Bubble” teams like New Mexico, Villanova, Virginia, St. John’s, and more will hope to make a deep run in their respective conference tournaments to solidify their status on “Selection Sunday.”
With the 2023-24 regular season wrapping up, the best (depending on who you ask) sporting event of the year is almost here: the NCAA Tournament. After an entertaining campaign that saw several teams bounce around the A.P. Poll, we could be in store for another historic March.
March Madness, as the NCAA Tournament is often known, is one of the most significant sporting events in the United States, with a total of 67 games spanning roughly three weeks. It is a single-elimination tournament that features 68 teams, 32 of which are conference tournament winners, while the other 36 garner “at-large” bids for their impressive play throughout the season.
Let’s dive into which teams can win the NCAA Tournament below, their respective odds, and whether or not there is value in betting on them!
See the complete list of NCAA teams below and their NCAA Tournament odds, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Click the odds in the table below and head over to DraftKings to place your bets!
Team | Odds |
---|---|
UConn Huskies | +500 BET HERE |
Houston Cougars | +600 BET HERE |
Purdue Boilermakers | +750 BET HERE |
Tennessee Volunteers | +1100 BET HERE |
Arizona Wildcats | +1300 BET HERE |
North Carolina Tar Heels | +1800 BET HERE |
Kentucky Wildcats | +1800 BET HERE |
Marquette Golden Eagles | +2500 BET HERE |
Iowa State Cyclones | +2500 BET HERE |
Duke Blue Devils | +2500 BET HERE |
Creighton Bluejays | +2500 BET HERE |
Auburn Tigers | +2500 BET HERE |
Baylor Bears | +3000 BET HERE |
Kansas Jayhawks | +3500 BET HERE |
Illinois Fighting Illini | +3500 BET HERE |
Alabama Crimson Tide | +4000 BET HERE |
BYU Cougars | +6000 BET HERE |
Florida Gators | +7000 BET HERE |
Saint Mary’s Gaels | +7000 BET HERE |
Gonzaga Bulldogs | +7500 BET HERE |
Which NCAA Tournament team will take home the hardware in 2024? Take a look at our 2024 NCAA Tournament predictions below.
Can history repeat itself? In 2018, the Virginia Cavaliers were a No. 1 seed and were knocked out in the Round of 64 by a No. 16 seed, UMBC. However, the following season, they won the National Championship in an incredible March Madness run that we will never forget. Now, Purdue can do the same after losing as a No. 1 seed during the 2023 Tournament. It is eerie how similar these two situations are, with the Boilermakers also bringing back most of their players from the previous season to make another run.
The Boilermakers took their weaknesses from last season’s team and turned them into strengths. In that Round of 64 game against No. 16 seeded Fairleigh Dickinson, the Boilers were exposed in two areas: secondary scoring and three-point shooting. Now, they have three players (Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Lance Jones) who can step up at any moment alongside Zach Edey, the reigning Wooden Award winner.
Edey seems to be in line for a second consecutive Wooden Award after posting roughly 24 points and 12 rebounds per game. He uses his 7-foot-4 frame to pull down boards, draw fouls, and finish over defenders. Few players in the history of college basketball have been as unguardable as Edey.
Lance Jones, a senior guard transfer, has averaged just shy of 13 points per game, while Fletcher Loyer, a sophomore guard, has averaged close to 11 points per game. This is similar to his output last season, but he has been much more efficient (43.3%) in that output.
The key to this team unlocking the next tier of greatness has undoubtedly been the evolution of Braden Smith. Smith averages 13 points, seven assists, and six rebounds per game on a highly efficient 46/45/81 shooting split.
Jones, Smith, and Loyer have made Purdue a dominant offensive force. Edey can score on any player in the post, and if he gets double-teamed, the Boilers knock down a nation-leading 41.1% of their three-pointers. In fact, they are hitting nearly nine percent more threes this season than last, which is extraordinary given that the roster has remained largely unchanged.
Lastly, Purdue is a proven team on neutral battlegrounds. The Boilermakers won the Maui Invitational after defeating now-No. 19 Gonzaga, No. 4 Tennessee, and No. 8 Marquette. Further, they knocked off now-No. 16 Alabama and No. 5 Arizona on neutral courts, too! Playing in (and winning) these early-season tournaments on a neutral court matters, as it proves that the stage is irrelevant; it is only the performance on it that holds importance. Purdue isn’t going to enter this year’s NCAA Tournament scared; it will be angry and seeking vengeance.
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The Creighton Bluejays are massive underdogs at +2500 (DraftKings) to win the National Championship; frankly, that surprises us. Creighton has put together an extremely respectable season, finishing the regular season as the No. 8 team in the nation, boasting a 23-8 overall record. In fact, Creighton has won 14 of its past 18 games in the Big East, which is ranked as the second-toughest conference this season, per KenPom.
The Bluejays also rank ninth in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin (ninth in adjO and 22nd in adjD), third in effective field goal percentage, 21st in free throw percentage, first in fouls per game, first in adjusted shot quality (per ShotQuality), sixth in three-pointers attempted per game, and 45th in three-point percentage.
Effectively, the Bluejays’ goal is to take uncontested (or lightly contested) shots in the paint and around the rim or penetrate and kick out to open three-point shooters for a look from deep. Creighton banks on the fact that it will outshoot you, and it is often correct in that thinking. The Bluejays also boast a fantastic defense, at least as far as the advanced analytics are concerned; they rank seventh in adjDEF shot quality, which analyzes the quality of shots opponents get against them. In short, they give up very few clean looks on the floor.
One of the best aspects of this Greg McDermott-led Bluejays squad is their incredible dependability in staying out of foul trouble. McDermott does not like to dig deep into his bench and prefers to play his starters and, perhaps, one or two players off the bench for most of the game. To exemplify this point, we don’t have to look further than the players’ minutes: only six players log ten or more minutes per game.
While this could be seen as a disadvantage, the Bluejays play into it. No team is in better physical shape than them because their core players consistently play 35+ minutes each game, with a quick turnaround, especially during conference season. That will come in handy for the NCAA Tournament. Look no further than the fact that they came within one (bad) foul call at the end of their Elite Eight game of a Final Four.
This year’s Creighton team looks slightly different, with Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma transferring to Gonzaga and Kansas State, respectively; however, the core trio of Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Trey Alexander is still intact and has been electric. The Bluejays also brought back Mason Miller and Francisco Farabello while snagging sharpshooter Steven Ashworth in the portal.
Ashworth got off to a slow start to the 2023-24 campaign but has averaged just shy of 14 points per game on 41% shooting from the floor and 36% from behind the arc in his past 13 outings. If Ashworth and the rest of the Bluejays can get hot from deep during the NCAA Tournament, there might not be another team that can keep up, especially considering their rebounding prowess and stingy yet calculated defensive attack.
Head over to DraftKings to place your NCAA bets!
How many teams can say that they basically copied and pasted last season’s roster (save Olivier-Maxence Prosper) to this season’s roster? And how many of those teams were legitimate contenders already during the 2022-23 campaign? The answer to both of those questions would be “very few.”
Marquette won the Big East regular season title and Big East Tournament title last year, securing a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles ran into a Michigan State team that got hot at the right time. We have heard that story before, especially with the Spartans being “that team” that comes in and busts contenders because they peaked at the right time.
This year hasn’t quite been as dominant, especially in the first few months of the season, but the Golden Eagles are as dangerous as ever, having won 12 of their last 15 games entering the Big East Tournament. Those three losses came against the UConn Huskies (twice) and Creighton. During that stretch, Marquette’s offense shined; it had a team shooting split of 52/40/67. Obviously, betting on Marquette to win the National Championship means betting that it will knock down key free throws in crunch time, but it has the experience to overcome those issues.
Marquette is one of only five teams that enter its conference tournament as a top-20 team in adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom. Additionally, the Golden Eagles have the 18th-highest effective field goal percentage and force the 15th-most turnovers per game in the nation.
The Shaka Smart-led Golden Eagles are more than capable of putting together a National Championship run behind veterans Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro, David Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, and Chase Ross; however, the injury status of Kolek (oblique) will drive whether or not we lay down a bet on the Golden Eagles. He has missed the team’s last two games and will be questionable heading into the Big East Tournament. As long as he is back for the “Big Dance,” we are believers in this team!
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Purdue has all the makings of an NCAA Championship team, having strolled through their conference and non-conference schedule without breaking a sweat. The Boilers have an unbelievable 19-3 record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, including wins over No. 4 Tennessee, No. 8 Marquette, No. 19 Gonzaga, No. 5 Arizona, No. 16 Alabama, No. 12 Illinois (twice), and Wisconsin (twice.)
Additionally, the Boilers rank first in three-point shooting percentage, second in total rebounding rate (fifth in OREB%), fourth in assists, and first in adjusted offensive efficiency when this was written. Purdue’s sheer dominance on the glass and in knocking down threes makes it an obvious choice to win a National Championship. Plus, how can we possibly fade Zach Edey, one of the greatest centers in the history of college basketball?
The UConn Huskies won the NCAA Tournament in 2023, beating all six of their opponents by double-digits and leaving no doubt about which team was the best in college basketball.
The NCAA Tournament was founded in 1939, making it 85 years since the inception of one of the most popular sporting events in the world. In its beginning stages, the NCAA Tournament only had eight teams but has since expanded to 68 teams as of 2011, when the “First Four” games were introduced. There are two ways for teams to get into the NCAA Tournament: winning their conference tournament or receiving an at-large bid.
There are 32 conferences in Division I basketball, meaning 32 teams punch their ticket before “Selection Sunday,” completely avoiding the “sweat” of waiting to hear their name called. The remaining 36 teams are “at-large,” which is awarded for having a successful season and winning meaningful games.
Despite having not won a National Championship since 1995, the UCLA Bruins have the most titles of any college basketball team, with 11 titles. During his tenure, legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden won 10 National Championships with the Bruins. Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6), Duke (5), UConn (5), and Indiana (5) rank second through fourth (three-way tie), respectively.
Listed below are the past 15 NCAA Tournament champions, starting with the most recent champions. Take a look.
Champion | Year |
---|---|
UConn Huskies | 2023 |
Kansas Jayhawks | 2022 |
Baylor Bears | 2021 |
Virginia Cavaliers | 2019 |
Villanova Wildcats | 2018 |
North Carolina Tar Heels | 2017 |
Villanova Wildcats | 2016 |
Duke Blue Devils | 2015 |
UConn Huskies | 2014 |
Louisville Cardinals | 2013 |
Kentucky Wildcats | 2012 |
UConn Huskies | 2011 |
Duke Blue Devils | 2010 |
North Carolina Tar Heels | 2009 |
Kansas Jayhawks | 2008 |
Several factors determine how to choose the best sportsbook for betting on the NCAA Tournament. First, you should always consider which sportsbook has the best odds for the bets you want to place. If you wish to place a number of bets during the NCAA Tournament, it might make sense to have multiple sportsbooks to ensure you get the best value possible.
Beyond finding out who has the best odds, you should also consider which sportsbooks offer the best welcome bonus, what their payment options are for depositing and withdrawing funds, the user interface of their apps, and much more!
The table below details some of the advantages of BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel. Check it out.
BetMGM | Caesars | FanDuel | |
---|---|---|---|
NCAA Tournament Winner Odds | Odds Not Available | Odds Not Available | Odds Not Available |
Welcome Bonus | Bet $5, Get $158 in Bonus Bets! | Up to a $1,000 First Bet on Caesars | Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets |
Payment Options | - ACH Payments Bank Transfer - Visa - Mastercard - American Express - Discover credit card - PayPal - Neteller - Skrill | - ACH/ Instant Check - Credit Cards (Visa and Mastercard) - Debit Cards - Online Bank Transfer - PayPal - Caesars Prepaid Play+ Card - Skrill | - ACH Payments Bank Transfer - Mastercard - Visa - FanDuel Prepaid Card - Online Transfer - Wire Transfer - PayPal |
Withdrawal Time | Instant | Up to 72 hours | Instant |
Bet on NCAA Tournament Here | BET HERE | BET HERE | BET HERE |
Understanding odds can get confusing if you are newer to the betting scene. If a team’s betting odds have a minus in front of them, they are a favorite; if the betting odds have a plus in front, they are an underdog.
For example, if the Houston Cougars are -115 to make the Final Four, then they are considered a favorite (greater than 50% chance of making it). You would have to bet $115 to win $100.
However, if you are betting the Purdue Boilermakers to win the National Championship at +750, you would only have to bet $100 to win $750 because they are significant underdogs to win six consecutive games in the NCAA Tournament.
AUTHOR
Andrew Norton
134 Articles
Andrew has always been an avid sports fan and followed his hoop dreams all the way to college. He’s well-versed in everything betting with multiple years of experience and is qualitatively and quantitatively knowledgeable in sports statistics and analytics.
More info on Andrew Norton
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