- Duke Blue Devils are the current favorite to win the championship at +225 odds at BookMaker.eu
- The NCAA Tournament began March 19th and will run through April 8th, 2019. The NCAA Tournament championship game will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will be nationally televised on CBS.
The Duke Blue Devils entered the NCAA Tournament as the prohibitive favorite, but their March Madness run nearly ended in the Round of 32. Duke held off a masterful game from UCF and squeaked into the Sweet Sixteen with a one-point win. The Blue Devils’ struggles haven’t turned off the oddsmakers as they are still the clear favorite to come away with the title.
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The close call was a reminder how quickly the dream can end, and it’s why other teams still alive should be studied closely in case Duke does fall. There haven’t been a lot of upsets in this year’s tournament, as all four No. 1 seeds, No. 2 seeds and No. 3 seeds are still alive. The Oregon Ducks are a No. 12 seed and are the only real Cinderella remaining in the field.
NCAA Basketball National Championship Odds
Duke (+225)
Despite the close call last time out, Duke is still the team to beat the rest of the way. The Blue Devils’ odds to claim the national championship are set at +225. Duke has the best player remaining in March Madness in Zion Williamson, but UCF showed last time out that the Blue Devils are far from unbeatable when they aren’t playing well.
Gonzaga (+550)
The Gonzaga Bulldogs entered with the second-best odds to win the title and have acquitted themselves well thus far. Gonzaga has a tough game next time out against Florida State, and then would need to beat either Texas Tech or Michigan to make it to the Final Four. Gonzaga’s odds are listed at +550.
Virginia (+500)
The Virginia Cavaliers started slowly, and it looked like they may actually lose to a No. 16 seed for the second straight year. However, Virginia straightened things out on Friday and cruised to a win over Oklahoma on Sunday. The Cavaliers have a great defense and a strong body of work. The path is one of the easier ones and Virginia’s odds to win the championship is set at +500.
North Carolina (+800)
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the other No. 1 seed still alive. They will face off against Auburn in the Sweet Sixteen, with a possible matchup against second-seeded Kentucky in the Elite Eight. UNC has a talented team but it has been up and down this year. The Tar Heels’ odds are listed at +800.
Other Contenders
Michigan State has the best odds among No. 2 seeds at +900, followed by Kentucky and Michigan at +1200 and Tennessee at +1500. Purdue is listed at +1800, followed by Texas Tech and Florida State at +2200. Auburn’s title odds are listed at +2800, followed by Houston at +3000.
NCAA Basketball National Championship Prediction
Our Staff Pick:Â Gonzaga Bulldogs to win at +550 odds
Gonzaga doesn’t get a lot of love because it is a mid-major program, but this is clearly one of the most talented teams in the tournament. The Bulldogs could need to beat Duke in the Final Four to simply make the national championship game, but if they did so they would likely be the favorites to win it all.
Duke’s odds are not favorable enough to roll with them, as UCF exposed some weaknesses in the Round of 32. Gonzaga is the pick to win the national championship.
Check out the latest NCAA Men’s basketball March Madness betting odds.
