The Duke Blue Devils showed they can win without Zion Williamson, putting a 30-point thrashing on Miami in Saturday’s ACC tilt. And with the man-child expected back in the lineup soon, the Dookies remain the favorite to win the 2019 NCAA basketball national championship at BookMaker. Oddsmakers weren’t overly concerned about Duke’s chances as their odds remain virtually the same from last week.
Gonzaga at +500 and Virginia at +530 are next in line on the odds board. The Bulldogs cruised through their West Coast Conference schedule and haven’t been tested since December, so it remains to be seen how they react come Tournament time. The Zags are the only team to beat a full Duke squad, though, and they’ll carry that with them. Tennessee vaulted up the board thanks to their dominating win over Kentucky, also getting some revenge from an earlier loss that knocked the Vols from the No. 1 ranking in the national polls.
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 +214
Gonzaga +500
Virginia +530
Tennessee +985
Kentucky +1050
North Carolina +1050
Michigan +1400
Michigan State +1700
Texas Tech +1750
Purdue +2700
LSU +4800
Nevada +4800
Kansas +5000
Houston +5300
Florida State +6500
Virginia Tech +6700
Kansas State +7000
Villanova +7000
Iowa State +7200
Marquette +7500
Maryland +9000
Auburn +9500
Buffalo +9500
Wisconsin +10000
Washington +10500
Cincinnati +11000
Wofford +11500
Syracuse +12000
Louisville +13500
Mississippi State +18500
Baylor +20000
Texas +26500
Iowa +27500
Utah St. +35000
Central Florida +36500
Saint John’s +45000
VCU +45000
Florida +47500
All signs point to Williamson re-joining the Blue Devils when he’s fully recovered from his knee injury and that makes Duke the odds-on favorite. But what if he doesn’t? There is no guarantee he’ll return and the risk of further injury is something that will linger. And he didn’t go to Duke for the academics. He went to play basketball and get ready for the NBA. Coach K can be persuasive, but when it comes to a 19-year-old kid staring at dollar signs, I don’t think he’s going to get through.
There were a number of upsets last week that stirred the odds a little bit. However, at this time of year we have a pretty good idea of what the teams are going to be heading into the tournament. Michigan State was upset by Indiana and could lose the Big Ten regular season title. Getting Nick Ward back in time for the Dance will be helpful to the Fighting Izzos.
Just when we thought Kentucky was a legitimate contender for the national title, they were abused by the Vols in Knoxville. We expected that game to be close and weren’t surprised by a Tennessee victory. But 19 points! The Vols saw their odds shrink, but they are still a value pick at +985. All five starters are back from the club that won 26 games and shared the ACC regular season title last year. They still have a bad taste in their mouth after losing in the second round to Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean.
There are a number of quality teams that have the potential to win the title, and in a one-and-done setting anything can happen. Gonzaga rolled through its conference schedule undefeated, and the Zags are probably best built for the rigors of the Tournament. They are two years removed from a tip to the title game and they are better this season with more depth, better scoring and a stingy defense.
Don’t count out Virginia, either. The Cavs have lost just twice and as long as they don’t have to play Duke they should be a force. Okay, they’ll be the butt of jokes once the Tournament gets going after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed, but Tony Bennett and his club owned that and used it as motivation for this season. I wouldn’t want to be the team facing Virginia in the first round this year.
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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