As has been the case all season, the Duke Blue Devils closed out the regular season as the favorite to win the 2019 National Championship. I would have to guess that their odds of +233 are based on Zion Williamson making a complete recovery from an injury that cost him all but one minute of the final six regular season games. Over that span the Dookies went just 3-3 straight up and narrowly got by a bad Wake Forest team.
Coach K is expecting to have the future No. 1 NBA draft pick back in the lineup for the ACC Tournament and Zion makes them a contender, but there is a question mark surrounding him and the Devils now and I can’t see throwing down with such a low return. There are a number of other teams capable of making a deep run and two of them reside in the ACC. Don’t overlook North Carolina, and Virginia is poised to make a run to distance itself from last year’s failure.
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 +233
Gonzaga +500
Virginia +510
North Carolina +950
Kentucky +965
Tennessee +1,065
Michigan State +1,450
Texas Tech +1,500
Michigan +1,600
Purdue +3,300
Nevada +3,850
Houston +4,000
LSU +4,000
Kansas State +5,500
Florida State +6,300
Kansas +6,500
Villanova +7,500
Virginia Tech +7,500
Auburn +8,000
Wisconsin +9,500
Buffalo +9,500
Marquette +9,500
Maryland +9,500
Iowa State +10,000
Wofford +10,000
Washington +13,000
Louisville +15,000
Cincinnati +16,000
Syracuse +17,500
Mississippi State +22,500
Central Florida +26,500
Baylor +28,000
Murray St +30,000
Clemson +32,500
Utah St. +38,500
VCU +40,000
Iowa +42,500
Texas +45,000
Saint John’s +50,000
We have some parity in the college basketball world. However, the Power conferences still get all the love from oddsmakers and the selection committee. The ACC could have as many as nine teams make the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by the big three of Virginia, North Carolina and Duke. The SEC has three legitimate contenders in Kentucky, Tennessee and LSU. And it’s been a dogfight in the Big 12 and Big Ten Conferences with teams still on the bubble looking to make an impression during their conference tournament.
Gonzaga still holds the torch for the mid-majors and the No. 1 ranked team in the country is worthy of the spot. The Zags are probably the most balanced team in the country. They can score and defend, and they have size and quickness. The only knock on them is their schedule. They haven’t been tested since December, but they took care of business in the West Coast Conference by going undefeated during the regular season.
The Zags beat a complete Duke team earlier in the year and their only setbacks were to Tennessee by three points at a neutral site and to UNC in Chapel Hill. Wins over Arizona, Texas A&M, Creighton and Washington were all more impressive at the time, still victories nonetheless.
We kind of lost interest in the Big Ten after it seemed like no team wanted to win the regular season title. Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue all tried to give it away in the final two weeks of the regular season before Sparty and the Boilers grabbed a share of the crown. Those three are good enough to own the league, but I don’t think they have what it takes to win a national title.
Michigan lacks depth, and that will cost them in the Dance. Outside of Matt Haarms and Carsen Edwards, the Boilers don’t have much offense. That leaves Sparty, and the return of Nick Ward should bolster their lineup. And don’t underestimate a Tom Izzo club.
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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