On the whole, several NCAA Tournament contenders are worthy of being top favorites with the College Basketball odds. And none is more deserving than the Houston Cougars. No team was more consistent over the four months of regular season action than head coach Kelvin Sampson’s crew. Naturally, skeptics will point to Houston playing in the relatively weak American Athletic Conference. But sharps like the value that the Cougars provided. Despite the fact that Houston became one of the most public teams on the board. Also flexing are Alabama, Kansas, UCLA, and Purdue.
2023 NCAA Tournament – Power Favorites
| Date and Time: | Thursday, March 16 through Monday, April 3, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location: | Check Schedules |
| TV Coverage: | CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV |
NCAA Tournament National Championship odds at SBG
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Houston | +500 |
| Alabama | +800 |
| Kansas | +1000 |
| Purdue | +1200 |
| UCLA | +1400 |
| Gonzaga | +1500 |
| Arizona | +1600 |
| Texas | +1900 |
| Marquette | +2100 |
| Baylor | +2100 |
| Tennessee | +2200 |
| UConn | +2400 |
| Duke | +3100 |
| Kentucky | +3400 |
| Saint Mary’s | +3400 |
| Creighton | +3400 |
| TCU | +3400 |
| All Other Teams | +4300 or higher |
Houston Seeks Second Final Four in Three Years
Since taking over a downcast Houston program, Kelvin Sampson has relentlessly worked to build an online betting powerhouse. Sampson has worked in the fertile Houston metro recruiting area. Also, he has the credibility of winning big wherever he has coached. Sampson’s players love him and are loyal. But Sampson demands as much as any coach in college basketball. Thus, Houston brings an element of toughness that can’t be surpassed. The Cougars are as good as any team in the country on defense. And that is a reflection of Sampson.
Alabama Powers through Controversy and Distractions
Late on, the Alabama Crimson Tide has been in the national news for the wrong reasons. A murder of a single mother in January was tied to a player that is no longer on the team. Problematic was that Crimson Tide superstar Brandon Miller allegedly brought the murder weapon. Although Miller will not be charged with the crime, it was a bad look. Specifically, things were made worse by Alabama’s ham-handed public relations over the matter.
On the hardwood, Alabama was the SEC regular season champion. And they dominantly took the title. Miller was named SEC player of the year. But all of the negativity took its toll. Alabama was deep in the red in the final month of the season. Of great concern is their popularity with the casual sector and the increased media scrutiny from the capital murder issue. Still, Alabama is a worthy favorite.
Does Kansas Have Enough to Defend its National Championship?
The defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular season championship. Namely, head coach Bill Self did a masterful job of effectively getting an entirely new lineup up to speed. However, Self missed the Big 12 Conference tournament with a mysterious health issue. Now gamblers worry about his NCAABB betting status for the Big Dance. Kansas finished impressively with nine straight-up wins in its final ten games.
Gamblers Boiler Up on Purdue
First place in the Big Ten regular season race went to the Purdue Boilermakers. And 7’4” center Zach Edey was a major reason for that success. Purdue was ranked #1 in the country for most of the year. Of major concern is that The Boilers slowed down in the stretch drive and finished deep in the red. Too much public and opponent attention wore them down.
Betting Public Sees a Final Four Brewing in Westwood
UCLA was the dominant regular season champion of the Pac-12 Conference. In a similar way to Houston, UCLA put a dominant defense on the court. Most important of all, the Bruins were one of the most profitable teams on the board for 2022-23. Head coach Mick Cronin and UCLA seed their second Final Four in three seasons.