{"id":102301,"date":"2024-10-21T07:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T11:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=102301"},"modified":"2026-03-10T23:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T03:30:26","slug":"college-basketball-betting-preview-who-is-favored-to-win-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/21\/college-basketball-betting-preview-who-is-favored-to-win-it-all\/","title":{"rendered":"College Basketball Betting Preview: Who Is Favored To Win It All?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When does college basketball start? The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/16\/ncaa-announces-significant-changes-to-seeding-process\/\" target=\"_self\">NCAA basketball season<\/a> is just a few days away! Last year\u2019s champions, the UConn Huskies, are not favored to complete the three-peat as March Madness winners. This NCAA <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/09\/2024-25-nba-betting-preview-orlando-magic-win-total-odds\/\" target=\"_self\">basketball betting preview<\/a> will look at the odds to make some college <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/04\/2024-25-nba-betting-preview-philadelphia-76ers-win-total-odds\/\" target=\"_self\">basketball betting predictions<\/a> for the upcoming season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>NCAA Basketball Betting Preview: Who Is Favored To Win It All?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>2023-24 NCAA Season<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the 2023-24 season, significant changes swept through college athletics. Longtime Kentucky head coach <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/calipjo99c.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Calipari<\/a> departed after 15 years to lead Arkansas. The Pac-12, diminished to two teams, began rebuilding by adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State for the 2026\u201327 season. Gonzaga announced its departure from the WCC to join the Pac-12 in all sports except football. UTEP confirmed it would join the Mountain West from Conference USA during the same period.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">2023-24 Uconn Huskies National Champions Playbook<\/p>\n<p>The deepest &amp; most creative playbook I have ever seen.<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LCsXAuRPrn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/LCsXAuRPrn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some of my favorite sets: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qYPBUDzhjN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qYPBUDzhjN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Coach Gibson Pyper (@HalfCourtHoops) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HalfCourtHoops\/status\/1777553346691248141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Huskies were +2000 to repeat as champions to start the season. This was tied for the sixth-shortest odds. Kansas was the odds-on favorite to start the season at +1000, followed by Duke, Purdue, Kentucky, and Michigan State. Creighton, Marquette, and Arizona were all +2000 to cut down the nets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the start of the tournament, the Huskies had moved to +500 to win after a strong season. After round 1, they had moved to +350, then to +240, and by the Elite 8, they were favored to win the tournament. They entered the championship game as -300 favorites to grab their second title in two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tournament featured exciting debuts from teams like Stetson and Grambling State, while NC State, as an 11-seed, made an impressive run to the Final Four. March Madness culminated with UConn winning back-to-back titles by defeating Purdue 75\u201360. No team had won back-to-back NCAA championships since Florida in 2006 and 2007.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From becoming national champions to the pros, these UConn Huskies are in it together \ud83e\udd1e \ud83c\udfc6 <\/p>\n<p>The <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NBADraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NBADraft<\/a> presented by State Farm begins tomorrow at 8pm\/et on ABC &amp; ESPN. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mwEpqIYySo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/mwEpqIYySo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA\/status\/1805732107823858073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 25, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>College Basketball Betting Predictions and Odds<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current odds to win the 2024-25 NCAA Basketball Tournament are as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Duke +950<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Houston +1000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kansas +1000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connecticut +1100<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alabama +1400<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iowa State +1600<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Auburn +2000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gonzaga +2000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arizona +2500<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">North Carolina +2500<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baylor +3000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creighton +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arkansas +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tennessee +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Texas Tech +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">St. John&#8217;s +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purdue +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kentucky +4000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Duke Blue Devils start the season as slight favorites to win it all. Houston, Kansas, and Connecticut are all right behind them, but as we\u2019ve learned in the NCAA tournament, anything can happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Favorites<\/strong><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">POLL ALERT: Kansas tops AP Top 25 preseason men&#39;s basketball poll ahead of Alabama, defending champion UConn; SEC leads way with 9 teams in poll.<\/p>\n<p>Full poll: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZJG5mgWrsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZJG5mgWrsa<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aAABleXK3s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/aAABleXK3s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP_Top25\/status\/1845857917360119871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Four teams have emerged as the favorites to win next year\u2019s March Madness Tournament. The Huskies can\u2019t be ignored, as they have won two years in a row, largely in dominant fashion. They lost star players like <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/clingdo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donovan Clingan<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/castlst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephon Castle<\/a> to the NBA, but Dan Hurley continues to lead excellence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Duke Blue Devils are the favorites to win it all. Projected NBA number one overall pick <a  href=\"https:\/\/goduke.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/cooper-flagg\/20760\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cooper Flagg<\/a> will lead them along with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/5203685\/khaman-maluach\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Khaman Maluach<\/a>. They should have one of the best defenses in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bill Self continues to lead a contending program in Kansas. The Jayhawks are hoping <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/hunter-dickinson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunter Dickinson<\/a> can lead the team back to the top of AP rankings and the March Madness Tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Houston Cougars will once again trot out one of the best defenses in college basketball. They won the Big 12 last season and are hoping to take the step up to March Madness champions this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When does college basketball start? The NCAA basketball season is just a few days away! Last year\u2019s champions, the UConn Huskies, are not favored to complete the three-peat as March Madness winners. This NCAA basketball betting preview will look at the odds to make some college basketball betting predictions for the upcoming season.\u00a0 NCAA Basketball [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5284,"featured_media":102315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49087,1608],"tags":[49101,49735,49091,3250,48964,861,1046,481,2854],"class_list":["post-102301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-betting","category-basketball","tag-2024-ncaa-tournament","tag-2024-2025-college-basketball-season","tag-basketball-betting","tag-connecticut-huskies","tag-cooper-flagg","tag-duke-blue-devils","tag-houston-cougars","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-bracket"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102301"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180984,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102301\/revisions\/180984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}