College Basketball Championship Odds 2023-24: UConn the Favorite at +450
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As the NCAA Tournament prepares to tip off this week, college basketball championship odds have defending champion Connecticut as the favorite at with the likes of Houston, Purdue and Arizona closely behind. Read on for a breakdown of the current favorites and some other teams who may have value.
When it comes to college basketball odds, each book can drastically vary. A great reminder on the importance of line shopping, making it vital to have multiple books to select from. A breakdown of the difference in odds can be found in the table below.
College Basketball Championship Odds 2023-24
The Favorite
Connecticut ()
UConn is coming off one of the more dominant NCAA Tournament performances in its history, hoisting the trophy after thwarting San Diego State in the finals.
Going back to back is as challenging as it gets yet UConn holds championship aspirations, a new-look roster and a No. 1 seed in the East. The Huskies rolled to both regular-season and tournament Big East championships. UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan (12.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg) has thrived in a starting role. He blocks 2.3 shots per contest. With its perimeter play steady, Clingan has become a dominant presence for the Huskies offense.
College Basketball Championship Odds Values
Houston ()
The Cougars made a lot of noise as the regular-season champions in their first year in the brutal Big 12. They gained a No. 1 NCAA Tournament South Region seed even though they were routed in the conference tournament title game by Iowa State.
Coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad plays a swarming defense that few in the nation can match. Senior guard L.J. Cryer (15.3 ppg) and senior forward J’Wan Roberts (6.8 rpg) set the table for Sampson’s offense.
Purdue ()
No team suffered more humiliation than the Boilermakers, who joined Virginia as the only No. 1 seeds to get knocked out of the tournament by a 16 seed last year. But Purdue has put things together for a Big Ten regular-season championship behind All-American center Zach Edey (24.4 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 2.2 bpg.) to again earn a top seed in the Midwest.
Edey remains a dominating interior presence who imposes his will on defenders. His importance is more than just his ability to score as he forces opposing defenses to collapse into the interior in an effort to slow him down, giving the Boilermakers much needed spacing to get open looks from deep.
Arizona ()
The Wildcats captured the final regular-season championship of the Pac-12 before bowing out in the league tourney semifinals to Oregon. They wind up as a No. 2 seed in the West Region.
Arizona will pin its hopes on uber-talented senior guard Caleb Love, a North Carolina transfer. Love averages 18.1 point and 4.7 rebounds. Senior center Oumar Ballo is a load inside (13.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg).
