College Basketball National Championship Odds with Expert Analysis and Predictions
The greatest three-week stretch in sports has finally arrived! Welcome to March Madness, and hopefully we get to witness buzzer-beating shots and upsets en route to one team cutting down the nets. If the conference tournaments were any indication about the NCAA Tourney, get your popcorn ready. Doc’s Sports will break down and analyze some of the best teams to win this year’s tournament below.
Doc’s Sports offers college basketball expert picks for every game on our NCAA basketball predictions page.
UConn Huskies +400
The Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed, and for good reason. Dan Hurley’s squad dominated Marquette for a third time this season en route to a Big East Tournament title. UConn enters the tournament with a 31-3 record and will look to be the first back-to-back champions since Florida. The Huskies retooled after losing Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo from last year’s championship team. Donovan Clingan has been spectacular, averaging 12.5 PPG and 2.3 BPG. Tristen Newton has transformed into a likely All-American and projected first-round draft pick, while freshman Stephon Castle has averaged double figures. Make no mistake, this team is dominant, registering 120.5 points per 100 possessions and holding opponents to 87.2 points per 100 possessions. UConn looks primed to repeat.
Houston Cougars +500
Kelvin Sampson is one of the better coaches in the NCAA and has his squad ready for a deep tournament run. In the past four seasons, he has led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 twice, the Elite Eight, and the Final Four. Houston enters March Madness with a 30-4 record and are one of the best teams in the country. This team prides themselves on defense and held 11 teams to under 50 points, including Kansas in the Big 12 season finale. What makes this team more dangerous than in the past? The Cougars boast more scoring options and an uptick on the offensive side than year’s past. Jamal Shead has been amazing, and former Baylor transfer L.J. Cryer is averaging 15.3 PPG while shooting 39.0% from three-point land. This is Sampson’s best opportunity at a championship.
Purdue Boilermakers +600
Purdue enters March with a chip on their shoulder and looks to pull off what Virginia accomplished in 2019 after falling to a No. 16 seed the year prior. After losing to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson last year, the Boilermakers feature the best offense in America. The team is shooting an outstanding 41.0% from beyond the arc, and the reigning Wooden Award winner, Zach Edey, has been amazing averaging 24.3 PPG and 11.8 RPG. The Boilermakers have issues with turnovers. However, by the eye test, the NCAA gave them an easier path to the Final Four in their region. Purdue enters the tourney with a 29-4 record and has the talent to mimic Virginia’s title run.
North Carolina Tar Heels +1400
Just like Purdue, Hubert Davis should also have a chip on his shoulder after blowing the biggest halftime lead in a championship game two years ago and following that up with missing the NCAA Tournament as the Preseason No. 1 last year. The Tar Heels have boasted a 27-7 record and earned the final No. 1 seed in the tourney. Their Big Three in RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, and Harrison Ingram led them to an ACC regular-season title after defeating rival Duke. Davis has been one of the best guards throughout the country, averaging 21.4 PPG and shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc. Davis and the Tar Heels can finish what they started two years ago as Arizona poses as the only threat in the West Region.
Tennessee Volunteers +1600
The Volunteers have always had a tough-nosed defense but lacked the same intensity on the offensive side of the ball. Enter Dalton Knecht. The Northern Colorado transfer is averaging 21.1 PPG and shooting 39.7% from beyond the three-point line. He is a projected lottery pick and Wooden Award contender. Rick Barnes led the Vols to a 24-8 record and a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region. In regular season wins over Auburn, Alabama (twice), Kentucky, and Illinois, all top-15 in adjusted offensive efficiency, the Volunteers averaged 90.6 PPG. If the offense can maintain their elite scoring against good competition, the defense is good enough to take home a championship.
Arizona Wildcats +1400
It is kind of crazy that the Wildcats earned a No. 2 seed in the West but are favored to win the region and go to the Final Four over the Tar Heels on DraftKings. Tommy Lloyd’s team played at a top-15 pace and shot 37.4% from three and 55% from inside the arc. They have some big nonconference victories, winning at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke and defeating high-scoring Alabama. These Wildcats can play against anyone in the country. Former Tar Heel Caleb Love is averaging 18.1 PPG and is one of four players averaging double figures for Arizona. The Wildcats are a real threat to No. 1 seed North Carolina.
Creighton Bluejays +3000
This squad is oozing with confidence and arguably boasts the nation’s top trio in Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Trey Alexander. The Bluejays ended the regular season on a 7-1 run and dominated the UConn Huskies 85-66 in the process. Head coach Greg McDermott signed a contract extension and is looking to avenge their last-second loss to San Diego State in the Elite Eight of last year’s tourney. Creighton is a solid dark horse that most people will not pick to cut down the nets.
Auburn Tigers +1500
Bruce Pearl led the Tigers to a 27-7 record and won the SEC Championship Game on Sunday. They are top-15 in adjusted offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency while shooting 55% from inside the arc and holding opponents to a nation’s best 43.1% inside the three-point line during the regular season. It does not help their cause being placed in UConn’s region, but Pearl’s team can rise to the occasion and play against anyone. Johni Broome has been superb, averaging 16.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, while shooting 54% from the floor. The stage is set for Bruce Pearl and the offense to show the country what they are made of.
Duke Blue Devils +3500
Which Duke team will show up? This team could lose in the first weekend or go on a deep March-run. It all starts with Kyle Filipowski, who is a Wooden Award contender. Freshman Jared McCain has come on in the second half of the season and played himself into a first-round draft pick. Jeremy Roach provides the leadership that a team needs to get through the tough moments of the tourney. Jon Scheyer led the Blue Devils to a 24-8 record and heads into the tourney on a two-game losing streak. Mark Mitchell will be the X-factor to a successful tournament.
Teams I am taking to win it all: Houston and Arizona
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