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2018 March Madness Betting Favorites According to Oddsmakers

2018 March Madness Betting Favorites According to Oddsmakers

Written by on February 22, 2018

NCAA Basketball Betting News
If you’re wondering which teams oddsmakers are giving the best chance to win this season’s NCAA college basketball national championship, then consider your ticket punched. Thanks to the expert 2018 March Madness betting insight that you’re about to get, you’re going to find out just which five teams sit atop the College Basketball Championship odds board to bring home the bacon this coming March. Just know that all national championship title contenders are not created equal.

2018 March Madness Betting Favorites According to Oddsmakers

  • Season: 2017–18
  • Begins: March 13th
  • Ends: April 2nd
  • Teams: 68
  • TV: CBS, TBS, TNT
  • Live Streaming: MM Live
  • Finals Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Expert NCAA Basketball Betting Upset Picks for 2018 March Madness

Duke Blue Devils

  • March Madness Betting Odds: +300
Duke (23-5) has a trio of NBA lottery picks in Marvin Bagley III, Trevon Duval, and Wendell Carter, but I don’t believe they are the best team in the nation, nor should the Blue Devils be the prohibitive odds-on-favorites to win the 2018 national championship. Duke’s trio of stars may be very gifted, but they’re young and inexperienced. Still, the Blue Devils look like they’re going to be a tough out, simply because they can score the ball (87.2 ppg, 2nd) and have a virtually unstoppable player in Bagley III, the ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder (21.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg), not to mention arguably the greatest head coach in college basketball history.

Michigan State Spartans

  • March Madness Betting Odds: +380
Michigan State (27-3) ranks inside the top 20 in both, scoring (82.6 ppg, 28th) and points allowed (64.8 ppg, 22nd). More importantly, the Spartans have some crazy length and athleticism on their roster that clearly bothers other teams at both ends of the floor. Oh, did I forget to mention that Michigan State also has at least three future NBA performers on their roster in Miles Bridges (17.0 ppg), Nick Ward (13.1 ppg) and Jaren Jackson (11.6 ppg)?

Villanova Wildcats

  • March Madness Betting Odds: +400
For me, the Villanova Wildcats (25-3) are one of the top teams in all of college basketball and should either be the prohibitive favorites or second pick to win this season’s national championship. The Wildcats rank first in the nation in scoring (87.4 ppg) and have a whopping six players that all average double figures in scoring. The Cats are also solid at the defensive end of the floor (70.6 ppg) and have one of the best coaches in all of college basketball in Jay Wright. Point guard Jalen Brunson (19.2 ppg) and swingman Mikal Bridges (17.1 ppg) look like next level players as does young big man Omari Spellman

Virginia Cavaliers

  • March Madness Betting Odds: +400
I genuinely believe that Virginia (25-2) can win it all this season. The Cavaliers plays defense like I haven’t seen in decades to rank first in points allowed (52.7 ppg). Sure, they’re not the biggest bunch of scorers (67.6 ppg), but they still beat the opposition by over 15 points per game. The Cavaliers are among the 2018 March Madness Betting favorites. Virginia held Wisconsin to a mind-boggling 39 points, Syracuse to 44 points, North Carolina to 49 and a very good Clemson to an unbelievable 36 points while beating odd-on-favorite Duke and ACC rival Louisville among others. Right now, I’m thinking the Cavs will meet the Villanova Wildcats in the national championship.

Purdue Boilermakers

  • March Madness Betting Odds: +1200
I believe Purdue (24-5) is as good as any elite title team in the nation, seeing as how the Boilermakers average a solid 81.2 points per game (37th) and limit the opposition to just 64.3 points per game defensively to rank 15th nationally. Purdue is very versatile with four double-digit scorers and one more that is just under that figure. Guard Carsen Edwards (17.4 ppg) is a flat-out star and the Boilermakers are quite unselfish. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in either, the Final Four or national championship game!

Last 10 NCAA Basketball Champions

  • 2017: North Carolina
  • 2016: Villanova
  • 2015: Duke
  • 2014: Connecticut
  • 2013: Louisville
  • 2012: Kentucky
  • 2011: Connecticut
  • 2010: Duke
  • 2009: North Carolina
  • 2008: Kansas
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