2022 NCAA TOURNAMENT FAVORITES
Favorites
Gonzaga (): Gonzaga had not lost since Dec. 4 when it fell to Alabama but Mark Few’s crew suffered another “L” on Feb. 26 to Saint Mary’s. Drew Timme and Co. will surely still be a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs, even if they stumble in the WCC Tournament.
Arizona (): The Wildcats have outperformed their 80-1 preseason futures odds in a big way, showcasing wins over Illinois and Michigan thus far. Among the contenders, first-year coach Tommy Lloyd presents the lengthiest team — with Azuolas Tubelis blossoming into a two-way star.
Kentucky (): The Wildcats have arguably been the most impressive team since conference play officially began. TheLines lead writer Eli Hershkovich was all over the Wildcats at their buy-low point in the season (30-1), and Wooden Award candidate Oscar Tshiebwe () is putting together a breakout campaign in Lexington.
Purdue (): The Boilermakers lost to North Texas in the Round of 64, but Matt Painter’s team possesses plenty of chemistry to bounce back and make a deep run in the dance. Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey has taken a major leap, and Purdue also showcases elite big men in Trevion Williams and Zach Edey. Painter has never advanced to the Final Four in his coaching career, and his defense must improve to do just that. March Madness odds for this team to win it all have shortened since the end of last season (+2500).
Auburn (): Allen Flanigan, the Tigers’ top returning scorer (14.3 ppg), missed the first chunk of the season while recovering from surgery on his damaged right Achilles tendon. But Bruce Pearl’s squad is rounding into form, and it correlates with five-star freshman Jabari Smith and North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler breaking out at both ends. With an explosive backcourt, the Tigers have a real shot to return to the Final Four for the second time under Pearl.
Contenders
Kansas (): It was a rough 2020-21 season for blue-blood programs and Kansas was no exception, being trounced in the Round of 32 by USC. Still, the Jayhawks have four of their top five players back (Ochai Agbaji, David McCormick, Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun). They have a promising backcourt combo of Arizona State transfer Remy Martin and Dajaun Harris as well. Bill Self has the pieces necessary to cut down the nets for the first time since 2008, yet Martin and big man David McCormack both need to showcase some consistency first.
Duke (): Paulo Banchero, the Blue Devils five-star freshman and Trevor Keels lead an explosive offense that can switch everything at the other end of floor, generating plenty of matchup problems. Duke already owns a marquee win versus aforementioned Gonzaga, in which Duke guard Wendell Moore was masterful at both ends of the court. A fairy tale ending might be in store for Mike Krzyzewski. Nevertheless, Duke’s transition defense is its biggest liability, along with its half-court offense in late-game situations.
Baylor (): Scott Drew’s team isn’t playing like it lost four of five starters from its national title team a season ago. The Bears boast an elite defense once again, and Arizona transfer James Akinjo has clearly bought into Drew’s no-middle philosophy. They held Villanova to its lowest scoring output under Jay Wright in their dominant non-conference victory on Dec. 12. We haven’t seen a program repeat since Florida in 2006-07, but Baylor could accomplish that feat. Its starting backcourt — comprised of James Akinjo and L.J. Cryer — haven’t been able to stay healthy, though.
Longshots
Villanova (): Jay Wright’s crew has just two games remaining on its regular season schedule, including a big one at home against Providence on Tuesday. Most bracketologists currently have the Wildcats as a 3 seed.
Tennessee (): Even though the Vols lost three of their four leading scorers from last season, freshman Kennedy Chandler (No. 1 point guard in 2021 recruiting class) gives Rick Barnes and opportunity to turn back to his pick-and-roll offense from his days with D.J. Augustin at Texas. Tennessee’s ceiling correlates to whether Chandler can continue to reach his.
UConn (): UConn finally got over the hump against Villanova, taking down the Wildcats at XL Center. Dan Hurley’s team followed that win up with a drubbing of lowly Georgetown and the Huskies look to be one of the hotter teams in the country as we enter the month of March.
HOW COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL TITLE ODDS ARE CHANGING
Odds to win the college basketball National Title have been posted at sportsbooks since the conclusion of last year’s tournament. Here is what the NCAA men’s hoops odds board initially looked like in April of last year.
- Gonzaga +550
- Baylor +850
- UCLA +1200
- Michigan +1400
- Duke +1500
- Kansas +1800
- Kentucky +1800
- Florida State +1800
- Illinois +2000
- Houston +2000
- Ohio State +2200
- Villanova +2200
- Alabama +2500
- North Carolina +2800
- Arkansas +2800
And here is what current odds to win March Madness look like.
- Gonzaga +400
- Arizona +800
- Auburn +1000
- Purdue +1000
- Kentucky +1000
- Duke +1300
- Kansas +1500
- Baylor +1500
- Villanova +2500
- UCLA +2500
- Illinois +3000
- Houston +3500
- Texas +4500
- Ohio State +4500
- Texas Tech +4500
- Tennessee +4500
- Alabama +5000
- Michigan State +7000
- Providence +7500
- Michigan +8000
- LSU +8000
- Marquette +9000
- USC +9000
- UConn +10000