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College Basketball National Championship Odds with Expert Analysis and Predictions

by Matt Zitt - 9/14/2023

College basketball National Championship odds Zach Edey Purdue Boilermakers

Classes are back in session, and the return of college basketball is right around the corner. Could this year see the revival of some dormant blueblood programs? Oddsmakers certainly think so, as three of the top four betting favorites are the Duke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks, and the Kentucky Wildcats. Purdue will try to redeem themselves after getting bounced by a No. 16 seed in last year’s tournament. The reigning National Player of the Year, Zach Edey, is returning to the Boilermakers. Doc’s Sports will look below at some of the best teams to take a chance on to cut down the nets in March.

Doc’s Sports offers college basketball picks for every game on our NCAA basketball predictions page.

Duke Blue Devils +1100

This Blue Devils roster is stacked. Head coach Jon Scheyer returns four starters from last year and has the No. 2 recruiting class for the 2023-24 season. The unexpected return of Jeremy Roach after declaring for the NBA Draft gives the Blue Devils one of the best backcourts in the country. Kyle Filipowski would have been a slam dunk first-round draft pick, but he also heads back to Durham to anchor the frontcourt. Mark Mitchell should also improve after his freshman year, and this is a very dangerous team when March comes rolling around.

Kansas Jayhawks +1200

The returning trio of Dajuan Harris Jr., Kevin McCullar Jr., and K.J. Adams Jr. makes the Kansas Jayhawks a National Championship contender. Then add to a roster possibly the best quality transfer in the history of the transfer portal in Hunter Dickenson. Dickenson’s style of play fits in perfectly for what the Jayhawks love to do on the court. The only real question surrounding this squad should be Bill Self’s health after not coaching in the tournaments. Regardless, there is enough talent on this roster to plow through March and cut down the nets.

Purdue Boilermakers +1200

Nothing like revenge to power a team to a championship. Ask Virginia when they were upset by a 16-seed and then came back to win it all. The return of Zach Edey has Purdue climbing the power rankings heading into next season. Head coach Matt Painter now has all five starters back from a team that won both the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament championships and earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament before being upset by 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson. The Boilermakers should dominate the college basketball landscape and make a push to cut down the nets in March.

Michigan State Spartans +1500

The Big Ten has not cut down the nets since 2000, and that team was the Michigan State Spartans, led by legendary coach Tom Izzo. I am a huge Izzo fan, and he always has competitive squads, which will not change in 2023. Tyson Walker and Malik Hall are taking advantage of their extra year due to COVID-19. Then A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins decided to return to East Lansing after testing the NBA Draft waters. Izzo now has a plethora of depth and experience in his arsenal. Add in the arrival of five-star recruits Xavier Booker, Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears, and this team can give Izzo another championship.

Marquette Golden Eagles +1800

The Golden Eagles and Shaka Smart experienced minimal roster movement besides Olivier-Maxence Prosper heading to the NBA. Three starters returned that averaged double figures. Kam Jones averaged 15.1 PPG, Tyler Kolek averaged 12.9 PPG, and Oso Ighodaro chipped in 11.4 PPG. With the loss of Prosper, Marquette’s most productive bench player should fill that void. David Joplin scored in double figures in three of his final four games and shot 40% from three-point land. The Golden Eagles could be an under-the-radar play heading into the 2023-2024 season.

North Carolina Tar Heels +2200

Caleb Love left the Tar Heels after last year, and that is what we call addition by subtraction as the guy could not throw a boat in the ocean. Head coach Hubert Davis returns his two anchors in Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis. Bacot averaged 15.9 PPG and was a force on the boards, while Davis averaged 16.1 PPG. UNC has since dug into the transfer portal to find some good complimentary players. Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan is a veteran shooter and Stanford’s Harrison Ingram is very versatile. Then top-10 2024 prospect Elliot Cadeau reclassified to suit up this upcoming season. Look for the Tar Heels to have a bounce back campaign after a disappointing 2022-2023 season.

Picks to cut down the nets: Duke Blue Devils +1200, Purdue Boilermakers +1400, Michigan State Spartans +1500

Top-25 Odds for 2023-24 NCAAM Championship

Duke +1100

Purdue +1200

Kansas +1200

Kentucky +1400

Michigan State +1500

UConn +1600

Arkansas +1800

Marquette +1800

Alabama +2000

Arizona +2000

Houston +2000

North Carolina +2200

Gonzaga +2200

Texas +2200

Creighton +2500

USC +3000

Baylor +3000

Tennessee +3000

Miami FL +3000

UCLA +3000

Villanova +3000

Maryland +4000

Florida Atlantic +4000

Maryland +4000

TCU +4500

Auburn +4500

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