February is here, which means March Madness has almost arrived. Defending champion Kansas is one of the March Madness favorites and they look to become the first team since Florida in the 2006-2007 season to have a repeat as national champions.
There are quite a few teams that have solid odds to cut down the nets at RNG Stadium in Houston, Texas on April 3. In terms of betting odds, Houston is the favorite to win the Big Dance, and last season, they advanced to the Elite Eight with a berth in the Final Four the season before.
While some of the usual suspects are in the mix for the national title some others have joined the party mainly Purdue and Alabama. Each one is currently ranked in the top five in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll and the Crimson Tide have never even advanced to the Final Four.
It’s hard to believe with only a few weeks left in the regular season that none of the typical powerhouses of Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina are ranked.
Big Dance Betting Odds 2023
Here is a look at the 10 teams that have the best betting odds at BetMGM to win the national title as of Friday, February 3.
Houston – +600
Alabama – +900
Purdue – +900
Tennessee – +1100
Kansas – +1200
UCLA – +1200
Arizona – +1300
Gonzaga – +2000
Baylor – +2000
Connecticut +2000
March Madness 2023 Favorites
Houston (+600), the odds-on favorite, has already reached 20 wins and is the third-ranked team in the nation. The Cougars are led by a defense that leads the country only giving up an average of 54.9 ppg. Maybe the third time’s the charm for the team that has made the NCAA title game twice but lost both times.
As of February 2, Purdue (+900) is the top-ranked team in the nation and is one of only two teams in college hoops that only has one loss. They are running away with the Big 10 and before the conference season began they beat two top 10 teams. The Boilermakers have been legit on both sides of the ball and are led by 7’4 center and player of the year candidate Zach Edey, who is averaging a double-double (22 ppg 13 rpg).
Alabama (+900) is unbeaten in SEC play and they are 5-2 facing ranked teams including a win over Houston. They are one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation (83.3 ppg) and to say they are deep would be an understatement, as they only have two players averaging in double figures.
March Madness Contenders
Gonzaga (+2000) a contender and not a favorite? This is a little hard to believe since the player of the year, frontrunner Drew Timme (21.5 ppg 7.5 rpg) came back for his senior season to help the Zags win their first-ever title. They have made the finals twice, with the last in 2021, and while they have Timme and are the second-highest scoring team in the nation (86.3 ppg) they have five losses and were throttled early in the season facing Purdue.
How about the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks (+1200)? They are still ranked in the top 10 despite a recent three-game losing streak. They have rebounded to win their last two games and all three losses in the recent skid were facing top 20 teams. Head coach Bill Self is looking to get the trifecta as he has led the Jayhawks to the title twice.
Arizona (+1300) is a perfect 5-0 facing ranked team this season and they only have three losses. They are one of the more athletic teams in the nation and rank in the top 15 in the country averaging 82.9 ppg. The Wildcats have one of the best frontcourt duos in the nation with 6’11” Azuolas Tubelis and 7’ Oumar Ballo, who are combining to average 35.6 ppg and 18.7 rpg.
With the current futures lines pretty wide-open, Arizona has some solid value here as well.
