The 2017 NCAA Tournament is yet to have a game decided at the buzzer. The first round action was a snore, but things really started to heat up over the weekend when top seeds Villanova, Duke, and Louisville went down in defeat. North Carolina and Gonzaga got their wake up calls, while Kansas cruised past Michigan State and enters the second week of the tournament the odds on favorite to win it all. With the field now whittled down to 16, let’s go hunting for value on the national championship futures odds.
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ODDS TO WIN 2017 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Kansas +400
North Carolina +450
Gonzaga +500
Arizona +550
UCLA +700
Florida +1200
Kentucky +1200
Baylor +1500
Oregon +1500
Wisconsin +1500
Michigan +1800
West Virginia +1800
Purdue +2000
Butler +5000
South Carolina +5000
Xavier +10000
FAVORITE TO BACK: Kansas Jayhawks +400
Now the odds on favorite to cut the nets down in Phoenix, the Kansas Jayhawks looked the part of the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region through the weekend. Their quest towards winning the program’s fourth national championship started with a 100-62 demolition of No. 16 UC Davis, and was then followed up with a 90-70 spanking of the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans.
KU shot 56.2 percent against the Aggies and 53.1 percent against Sparty. Frank Mason led the way with 22 point and 8 assists on Friday, while Josh Jackson was the standout on Sunday with a game-high 23 points that included a number of highlight reel dunks. The Jayhawks are just about unbeatable when everything is coming up roses at the offensive end of the court.
Increasing the odds of cashing a futures ticket with Kansas is the fact that they’ll be able to play each of their next two games in their home away from home otherwise known as the Sprint Center in Kansas City. They’re 3-1 straight up there this season with the lone defeat coming against TCU in the Big 12 tournament. Remember though, Jackson was suspended for that game. He’ll be in uniform this time around.
LONGSHOT TO BACK: Michigan Wolverines +1800
It’s simply amazing what Big Blue has done to reach the Sweet 16. This is a team that couldn’t buy a win on the road at the beginning of the season. Heck, it wasn’t even competitive in a number of those games. But since the calendar moved to March, John Beilein’s kids have suffered just one defeat, and it came in the closing seconds at Northwestern on a fluke play.
Facing that near-death experience has really brought this team together. They rallied to win the Big Ten tournament as the No. 8 seed and destroyed No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the title game. The offense exploded versus Oklahoma State by knocking down 16 of 29 3-pointers, but then the defense lead the way in the 73-69 comeback win against Louisville.
This team has proven its worth at both ends of the court with someone new rising to the occasion to lead the team to victory. Against the Cowboys it was Derrick Walton Jr. Against the Cardinals it was Moritz Wagner. You never know who is going to step up, but the one thing those following this team recently do know is that someone will ultimately step up. The Wolverines might just be the toughest out remaining in this field!
ODDS MOVEMENT: Kentucky Wildcats +1200
Not exactly sure why John Calipari’s kids odds to win it all went from +850 before the dance tipped off to +1200 after getting by Northern Kentucky and Wichita State to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16. That win over a deep and well-coached Shockers squad just might be the confidence booster that takes the young Wildcats to the next level.
Most impressive about KY’s recent play is the execution put forth by the defense. Edrice Adebayo and his mates have really turned up the intensity at that end of the court by allowing an average of just 65.4 points over their last nine games. The highest point tally conceded during that stretch was 74. If Kentucky is to make it to the desert next weekend, it’s going to need its defense to continue excelling against the potent offenses of the UCLA Bruins and likely the North Carolina Tar Heels. A pair of teams it gave up an average of 98.5 points per game to in the regular season.
Getting the opportunity to play so close to home also gives them a nice advantage I love seeing with an underdog with 12-1 odds attached to it. Malik Monk was pretty quiet combining for 26 points in the Wildcats last two games, so a breakthrough game against a porous UCLA defense wouldn’t surprise in his FedEx Forum debut.
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