2012 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds
As college basketball's conference tournament season gets started this week we figured now might be a good time to take a look at the upcoming NCAA tournament, and some championship futures odds, courtesy of Bovada.lv.
As one might expect, the top-ranked team in the land, the Kentucky Wildcats, top the betting on Bovada's NCAA championship board at 5/2. UK has lost just one game this season, and that came on a buzzer-beater at Indiana back in early December. Since then the 'Cats have won 20 in a row, as they try to make it back-to-back Final Four appearances.
The Big Ten's Ohio State Buckeyes are the second choice on Bovada's board at 13/2. OSU was a popular pre-season pick to win it all, and obviously still poses a threat. But the Buckeyes have actually lost three of their last five games, and needed a late basket to avoid an upset bid by Northwestern early this week.
The North Carolina Tar Heels out of the ACC and Syracuse Orange of the Big East are co-third picks at 7/1. Carolina is tied with Duke atop the ACC, but should be in the lead by itself, if not for blowing a game to the Dukies in early February. Syracuse, meanwhile, is the No. 2 team in the land, also with just one defeat, and has won the Big East regular-season title.
The Kansas Jayhawks, who just won the Big 12 regular-season crown again, the Big Ten-leading Michigan State Spartans and the Missouri Tigers are all lined at 10/1 on Bovada's NCAA board.
And Duke is listed at 12/1.
At the next tier on Bovada's NCAA championship betting board come three more teams from the Big East; the Georgetown Hoyas and Marquette Eagles are both lined at 25/1, and the Louisville Cardinals are getting 30/1.
Remember, it was the ninth-place team from the Big East last year that won the NCAA tournament.
Next up come the Baylor Bears, Florida Gators and Wisconsin Badgers, all listed at 35/1 on Bovada's Big Dance board. The Florida State Seminoles and Indiana Hoosiers are getting 40/1. And the defending national champion UConn Huskies, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, Vanderbilt Commodores and Wichita State Shockers are all lined at 50/1.
And among those in the longshot department Michigan is getting 60/1, Notre Dame 65/1, Gonzaga 75/1, California and West Virginia at 100/1 and last year's Cinderella, VCU, 150/1.
Connecticut won the NCAA tournament last spring as a No. 3 seed, but the previous four champions were all No. 1 seeds.
Preseason NCAA Basketball Championship odds : as of April 26/2011 at 5Dimes.
- North Carolina +350
- Kentucky +600
- Ohio St +600
- Syracuse +1200
- Louisville +1200
- Texas +1500
- Duke +2000
- Pittsburgh +2500
- Connecticut +3000
- Memphis +3000
- Kansas +3500
- Michigan St +3500
- Arizona +3500
- Florida +4000
- Michigan +4000
- Wisconsin +4000
- Gonzaga +4000
- Xavier +5000
- Purdue +6000
- UCLA +6000
- Washington +6000
- West Virginia +6000
- Field (Any Other Team) +7500
- Butler +7500
- Marquette +10000
- Colorado St +10000
- Texas A&M +10000
- Alabama +10000
- George Mason +10000
- Temple +10000
- Cincinnati +10000
- Missouri +10000
- Baylor +10000
- Florida St +10000
- Wichita St +10000
- Clemson +10000
- New Mexico +10000
- Notre Dame +10000
- St Johns +10000
- Villanova +10000
- Minnesota +10000
- Arkansas +10000
- USC +10000
- Georgetown +10000
- Illinois +10000
- Maryland +10000
- Mississippi St +10000
- Indiana +10000
- Colorado +10000
- Tennessee +10000
- UNLV +10000
- Boston College +10000
- San Diego St +10000
- BYU +10000
- Iowa St +10000
- Vanderbilt +10000
- Oregon St +20000
- UTEP +20000
- Providence +20000
- Texas Tech +20000
- Tulsa +20000
- South Florida +20000
- Southern Mississippi +20000
- Utah +20000
- Long Beach St +20000
- Boise St +20000
- Auburn +20000
- UCSB +20000
- California +20000
- Old Dominion +20000
- Kansas St +20000
- St Marys +20000
- Northwestern +20000
- Georgia +20000
- Stanford +20000
- Oklahoma St +20000
- Miami FL +20000
- VCU +20000
- South Carolina +20000
- Iowa +20000
- Richmond +20000
- Nebraska +20000
- Virginia Tech +20000
- Oklahoma +20000
- Oregon +20000
- Dayton +20000
- Utah St +20000
- Duquesne +20000
- Belmont +20000
- Mississippi +20000
- Penn St +20000
- Arizona St +20000
- Seton Hall +20000
- North Carolina St +20000
- LSU +20000
- Washington St +20000
- Virginia +20000
- Rutgers +20000
- Georgia Tech +20000
- UAB +20000
