Injuries are a part of sports and they happen to every team. When a talent like Zion Williamson goes down, it impacts futures odds. Phil Knight is banging his head against a wall after watching the future No. 1 NBA draft pick blow out a Nike tire and sprain his knee. There were rumors that Williamson would shut it down and not play again, hanging the Duke Blue Devils out to dry.
The loss of the man-child affected the Dookies, who dropped a game to Virginia Tech this week, but they remain at the top of the odds board at +212 to win the 2019 National Championship. Recent developments have closed the gap, however, with Gonzaga and Virginia next in line. There are some better value picks down the list and in a single-elimination tournament anything can happen. That’s why they call it Madness, baby!
Here are the updated college basketball national championship odds at BookMaker.eu.
Odds to win 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BookMaker.eu
Duke +212
Gonzaga +530
Virginia +590
Kentucky +900
North Carolina +1,100
Tennessee +1,220
Michigan State +1,365
Michigan +1,475
Texas Tech +1,850
Purdue +2,850
Nevada +3,650
Houston +4,000
Kansas +4,500
Iowa State +5,000
LSU +5,500
Marquette +6,000
Florida State +6,500
Kansas State +7,200
Maryland +7,200
Virginia Tech +8,000
Villanova +8,500
Wisconsin +9,000
Auburn +9,500
Washington +9,500
Buffalo +9,500
Cincinnati +10,500
Syracuse +11,500
Louisville +13,000
Iowa +16,000
Mississippi State +18,500
Baylor +19,500
Texas +28,500
Wofford +30,000
St. John’s +32,500
Florida +35,000
North Carolina State +38,500
VCU +50,000
Utah St. +50,000
If you like Duke’s chances and you waited to throw down on them, congratulations. The loss of Williamson just increased the Blue Devils odds. And we don’t know right now what’s going to happen with Zion. He sat out the last two games with his injury and talk about him shutting it down for the rest of the season has some validity given his status as the projected No. 1 draft pick. Is a guy going to risk millions of dollars to play a college basketball game when his only interest in Duke was to increase his draft potential? Conjures up thoughts of Boobie Miles, doesn’t it?
There are several teams from major conferences playing at a high level right now. North Carolina and Virginia have been sparring with Duke and each other all season in the ACC. Kentucky had a statement win over then-No. 1 Tennessee and the Cats look like a contender. Hell, even the Vols have a good shot at reaching the Final Four given the talent they have.
Some of the best teams, however, are mid-majors. The best of the bunch and the current No. 1 team in the land is Gonzaga, which hasn’t lost since mid-December at UNC. And the Bulldogs are finally getting some respect even though the West Coast Conference is having a down year overall. The Zags lead the nation in scoring with over 90 points per game and shoot better than 53 percent from the field. They can also play defense.
Nevada is the class of the Mountain West, though their odds took a hit with a recent loss to San Diego State. And Houston has put together a marvelous season for coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougs have lost just once and possess one of the top defensive units in college basketball.
When tournament time rolls around it’s all about seeding and brackets. Some teams will likely have an easier run through their region than others and most mid-majors get the shaft from the committee when it comes to seeds. Supposedly there are metrics used to determine the seeds, but a personal bias from the person or persons entering the information will skew the numbers.
The beauty of the Tournament is that you just don’t know what’s going to happen. My bracket has been busted in the first weekend for the past few years. And we saw the gap close even more last season when Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16.
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