March Madness Betting
The NCAA Tournament is a highlight on the basketball calendar that few other sports can outshine. At Bodog, we’re out ahead of the game as usual, and we’re taking a look at the top contenders for the 2022 Championship in our March Madness Preview.
The single-elimination format means that March Madness is one of the most unpredictable competitions in the global sports calendar. In 2021, Baylor made it to the final for the first time since 1948, and eventually came out on top after they beat Gonzaga 86-70.
Thanks to the short tenures that players have in their college teams, and the high-stakes in each game, there have been nine different winners in the last ten competitions. This makes picking a winner a unique challenge, but fear not: Bodog is on the case. We’ve done the hard yards nice and early, and laid out our forecasts alongside the teams with the best March Madness odds for this year’s showdown.
NCAAB Odds to Win the 2022 Championship
Gonzaga Bulldogs: +400
The top favourite to win the NCAA Championship is a team which has been gaining strength for much of this last year. As of mid-February, Gonzaga has a near-undefeated seasonal record, having won 21 of its 23 games overall with a 10-0 conference record.
That’s no surprise considering the team is also one of the most consistent, topping its conference in all but one season since 2001.
In 2021, Gonzaga came close to being March Madness champions, but were narrowly beaten by Baylor in the decider. The Bulldogs are yet to go all the way, but Mark Few’s merry men have never stood a better chance.
As well as being on-form, the squad is a picture of healthy, with only Kaden Perry and Dominick Harris sitting out due to injuries. This makes Bodog’s NCAAB odds for Gonzaga the tournament favourites at +400 – quite the advantage over their fellow competitors..
Arizona Wildcats: +800
The Arizona Wildcats have seen their odds tighten to +800 as they scooped up a string of victories that has left them sporting a record of 22-2, including a 96-71 defeat of California while they were out on the road.
The Wildcats’ head coach, Tommy Lloyd, is set to steady the ship through his first season at the helm, so his quality as a strategist and a rabble rouser is yet to be determined. That said, he did spend the last 20 years as Assistant Head Coach at Gonzaga, so he’s definitely learned a useful thing or two. Bodog expects to see Arizona putting on top performances as Lloyd eases them into the lead.
Kentucky Wildcats: +800
The Kentucky Wildcats are another team who have enjoyed shortening odds in recent weeks, meeting Arizona at the +800 mark. That’s thanks in part to a six-game winning streak full of dominant performances, including a whirlwind of buckets by TyTy Washington Jr., Sahvir Wheeler, and then by Oscar Tshiebwe in the game against the Gators.
John Calipari is in his 13th season as head coach in the Bluegrass State, during which time he’s helped the team win March Madness once and finish as runners-up for another. We know he has what it takes to go all the way, but with several key players out with injuries, he may find he has one arm tied behind his back.
Auburn Tigers: +900
The next contender is the Auburn Tigers. Their odds have shortened quite a bit in recent weeks thanks to a string of victories that have allowed them to go 23-2. They now sit at odds of +900 in Bodog’s March Madness futures odds.
The Tigers don’t have the same NCAA Tournament consistency as other teams like Gonzaga, and they’ve only made two appearances since 2018. That said, they did make it to the Final Four for the first time in 2019, which still leaves some home for Auburn to pull through.
Purdue Boilermakers: +1000
Right behind Kentucky with +1000 NCAA Tournament odds is Purdue.
The Purdue Boilermakers have a decent record this season, going 22-4 overall and 11-4 in the Big Ten. They’ve got one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offense, as was evidenced by its last-second heroics in the game against Maryland that scraped them by with a 62-61 win. On the other hand, the Boilermakers are distinctly average in the defence department, and this could be what shatters their chances at the NCAA Tournament victory.
Duke University Blue Devils: +1200
Duke University’s Blue Devils are a team that shouldn’t be discounted. As five-time NCAA Tournament Champions and near-constant appearances in the playoff competition, the team knows what is necessary to get the job done. Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski has been in charge at Duke since 1980 and is responsible for almost all of the team’s silverware and more than 1,100 match wins.
The Blue Devils currently sit at the top of the ACC with an 11-3 record and have gone 21-4 overall. As the season has progressed, they’ve looked stronger as the players have gelled better and star players like AJ Griffin have found their groove. With NCAA Tournament Championship odds of +1200, this could make Duke an attractive proposition.
Baylor Bears: +1500
With odds from Bodog of +1500, last year’s champions aren’t far behind. The Baylor Bears currently sit second in the Big 12 with a 9-3 record and 21-4 overall. The team has enjoyed some strong performances in their recent outings, including a 74-49 victory against the Kansas State Wildcats and an 80-63 win against the Texas Longhorns.
However, the Bears’ chances of defending their NCAA Tournament Championship took a beating in the Texas game as 6’8” forward, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, collected up a good old knee injury.
With a shrinking roster due to the injuries of other key players, Baylor’s chances of becoming the first team to successfully defend an NCCA Tournament title in nearly two decades are looking emaciated.
With several highly competitive teams vying for the Championship in March Madness, any one of them could conceivably be crowned the winners; such is the madness of a sudden death elimination. With this Bodog preview top of mind, lock in the current March Madness odds early by nailing down those bets. Then, clear your schedule for the next month, as you won’t want to miss a second of the madness.