The Duke Blue Devils and their gifted trio of five-star freshmen, are sitting on top when it comes to the college basketball futures odds to win the 2019 national championship, but the Blue Devils have plenty of company when it comes to the chase for first place in all of college basketball. Here is an expert look at the latest odds to win the 2019 NCAA Basketball Championship.
Updated 2019 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds – January 14th Edition
Odds to Win the 2019 NCAA Basketball Championship
- Duke 9/4
- Gonzaga 10/1
- Michigan 10/1
- Virginia 10/1
- Kansas 12/1
- Tennessee 14/1
- Kentucky 16/1
- Michigan State 16/1
- Nevada 16/1
- North Carolina 16/1
- Auburn 25/1
- Kansas State 33/1
- Florida State 40/1
- Texas Tech 40/1
- Virginia Tech 40/1
- Arizona State 50/1
- Buffalo 50/1
- Indiana 50/1
- Marquette 50/1
- Mississippi State 50/1
- Oklahoma 50/1
- Villanova 50/1
Favorites to Win the 2019 NCAA Basketball Championship
Duke
The top-ranked Blue Devils (14-1) have won 10 straight games and are averaging a stupendous 90.2 points per game to rank third nationally in scoring while limiting the opposition to just 65.1 points per game defensively (36th). No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett is averaging a team-high 23.4 points per game even though athletic fellow forward Zion Williamson (20.3 ppg) is the one garnering the most national media attention. No. 3 overall recruit Cam Reddish (13.3 ppg) had his best game of the season this past weekend and hit the game-winning shot against Florida State to lift Duke to a thrilling 80-78 road win on Saturday. Right now, I’m thinking the only thing that could derail Duke’s national championship hopes is a lack of experience.
Gonzaga
Fifth-ranked Gonzaga (16-2) toyed with San Francisco en route to a commanding 96-83 win on Saturday. More importantly, the Bulldogs look like the kind of team that could very well beat Duke come tourney time. Gonzaga has a handful of likely NBA performers on their roster and they’re finally, fully healthy for the first time this season. The Bulldogs average a stellar 92.2 points per game to rank second nationally in scoring while limiting the opposition to just 68.5 points per game defensively (105th).
Michigan
No. 3 Michigan (17-0) might be offering the best betting value of any team on the board when you consider the Wolverines have the experience of reaching last season’s national championship game. This season, Michigan has quality wins over Villanova, No. 22 Indiana and No. 12 North Carolina, not to mention the fact that the Wolverines have a defense that ranks third in points allowed (56.6 ppg). I love the fact that, while Michigan doesn’t have any superstar scorer, they share the ball as well as anyone and have one of the nation’s top backcourts in Charles Matthews and Jordan Poole.
Virginia
The first thing you should know about fourth-ranked Virginia (15-0) is that this is not last season and this is not the same squad that became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history. The next thing you should know about Virginia is that they play the kind of defense that can beat anyone – and I do mean – anyone. The Cavaliers lead the nation in fewest points allowed (51.2 ppg) while ranking third in field goal defense and first in defending the three-point shot. More importantly, this season, Virginia is averaging a respectable 73.8 points per game while ranking a stellar 10th nationally in three-point shooting (39.9%). If any team can shut down Duke’s high-powered offense, it might be value-packed Virginia.
Kansas
Sure, No. 7 Kansas (14-2) got past Baylor 73-68 on Saturday to cash in as a 3.5-point road favorite, but right now, I just don’t see the Jayhawks challenging the very best teams in the country for the national championship. Yes, Kansas has two, next-level players in forward Dedric Lawson (19.3 ppg) and center Udoka Azubuike (70.5% FG), but I just can’t get past the Jayhawks’ pitiful performance in their stunning 77-60 blowout loss at Iowa State on Jan. 5, not to mention their uninspiring effort in their 80-76 road loss at Arizona State. Kansas generally improves as the season goes along, so, they could be a lot better moving forward, but again…right now, I’m saving my cash on Kansas, even as a +1200 pick to win it all.
Tennessee
I absolutely love No. 3 Tennessee (14-1) as a stunning +1400 pick to win the national championship this season even though the Volunteers clearly don’t get the same amount of national media attention as some of the other ballclubs at or near the top of the futures odds list. Tennessee pounded Florida en route to a 78-67 win over the Gators on Saturday after smacking Missouri senseless four days prior (87-63) and routing Georgia badly in their 96-50 spanking on Jan. 5. The Volunteers have an explosive offense that averages a stellar 85.8 points per game to rank 37th nationally in points allowed. The Vols also have a really good head coach in Bruce Pearl, a whopping five players that all average double figures in scoring and at least one potential NBA performer in forward Grant Williams (18.9 ppg)!
Watch Out for These to Win the 2019 NCAA Basketball Championship
Michigan State
The Spartans (15-2) might have lost a ton of talent to last year’s NBA Draft, but Tom Izzo has his team back amongst the top title contenders in the country. The Spartans average a stellar 85.5 points per game to rank 11th nationally in scoring while limiting the opposition to just 66.8 points per game defensively (71st). Michigan still has some likely next-level performers in guard Cassius Winston (17.6 ppg), forward nick ward (16.6 ppg) and guard Joshua Langford (15.0 ppg). Maybe it’s me, but I’d be very scared of the Spartans once March Madness rolls around.
Kentucky
No. 18 Kentucky (12-3) has a boatload of top-notch talent and the Wildcats are starting to look better with each passing game. The Wildcats are averaging a stellar 80.9 points per game (42nd) and limiting the opposition to just 68.7 points per contest defensively (115th). Four players are averaging double digits for John Calipari and I believe Kentucky is going to be really dangerous once March Madness rolls around.
Nevada
10th-ranked Nevada (16-1) is a team that I believe is offering stupendous value as a +1600 pick to win it all and one that could very well upset the entire apple cart once the national championship tournament gets underway. The Wolf Pack got past Fresno State 74-64 this past weekend to further distance themselves from their Jan. 5 loss to New Mexico. Nevada has a very competent offense that averages 80.7 points per game to rank 44th nationally in scoring while also being pretty elite at the other end of the court in limiting the opposition to just 66.4 points per game defensively (54th). The Wolf Pack have four double-digit scores and three players expected to reach the next level in Jordan Caroline (18.4 points, 9.8 rebounds per game) and twins, Caleb (17.9 ppg) and Cody Martin (11.4 ppg).
