Eric Uribe
Is it ever too early to start daydreaming about NCAAB March Madness aka one of the best betting extravaganzas of the whole year? No? We thought so hence why we’re penning this article on the best picks to win the 2022 national title — which pays a pretty penny in the sports betting world.
You see, online oddsmakers already have betting lines for a litany of programs to cut down the nets by the end of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. That’s dozens upon dozens of different odds available, but for brevity’s sake, we wanted to include the betting front-runners in the table below:
| NCAA Team |  |  |
| Gonzaga | +600 | +600 |
| Michigan | +800 | +800 |
| UCLA | +1100 | +1000 |
| Kentucky | +1200 | +1200 |
| Duke | +1400 | +1400 |
| Kansas | +1400 | +1400 |
| Texas | +1400 | +1400 |
| Villanova | +1400 | +1400 |
The list above is a good starting point when wagering on NCAA basketball futures, but we’re not content quite yet. We did the research — up, down, left, and right across the country — to pull our very own betting favorites. The three teams below give us the most confidence when betting (at least for now months before the season starts). Let’s get into our free betting picks:
Gonzaga
Once again, the Zags came dangerously close to winning the elusive national title last season (they won 31 games in a row). But once again, the Bulldogs fell short, fueling the narrative that they just “can’t get over the hump.”
That narrative will remain the discourse during the 2021-22 season. Surely, some bettors will hesitate to wager with them — which is fair given their history of letdowns. Us, though? We’re making Gonzaga one of our three picks — the talent is simply too deep to skip out on them. And if they do “choke” again? Welp, that’s why you have two other backup bets to make up for them.
Mark Few will get back All-American forward Drew Timme next season. Yes, it did lose its other two All-Americans — Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs — but Few reloaded with likewise talent. Namely, with the number-one high school recruit in the entire nation, center Chet Holmgren, who has drawn comparisons to the likes of Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. We repeat, the talent is deep out in Gonzaga.
Michigan
We aren’t going to win any brownie points for backing the two presumptive betting favorites, first the Bulldogs and now the Wolverines. But hey, there’s a reason why their front-runners — these teams are well-coached and loaded with talent (both new and returning one).
In the case of Michigan, they were one of college basketball’s best last season. It fell one basket short of reaching the Final Four and many pieces from that No. 1-seeded team are back in the mix. Those pieces include Eli Brooks and Hunter Dickinson, two starters from that original roster.
Joining the duo will be one of the best-recruiting classes in the nation that includes two top-50 players — Caleb Houstan (No. 7 on ESPN 100 rankings) and Frankie Collins (No. 36) — and transfer DeVante Jones (who averaged 19.3 points per game with Coastal Carolina). The turnaround Juwan Howard has led thus far is truly remarkable and we have to remember, it’ll only be Year 3 for the Michigan Man. Watch out for this well-rounded team!
Purdue
More than anything else, the Boilermakers land on this list due to its unrivaled playing experience. It earned a No. 4 seed in last year’s tournament and get this, the team returns players that accumulated 91.3 percent of its total minutes during that run. That’s second-most among major college basketball programs (Butler is ahead of them).
Furthermore, about half of those returning players are about to be sophomores. It’s a long-held belief in college basketball that the biggest improvement in play becomes between years one and two. If that’s true — which we certainly believe to be the case — then this Purdue team could be serious sleepers. The program has had middling success in recent years, but we anticipate 2022 being its coming-out party.
That wraps up our betting advice. If you’re not sold on our choices and want to explore more NCAAB odds on your own accord, you can visit one of the betting sites featured in the underneath table. More than 50 different college teams have betting lines available for the 2022 national title at these bookmakers. Give it a look and while you’re visiting, drop a bet too!
Placing a bet now actually works in your favor if you’ve never wagered at the sites before. That’s because the bookies are offering sign-up bonuses to first-time bettors. Thanks to these bonuses, you could be minutes away from claiming thousands of dollars in free play!
We know what you’re thinking, “this is too good to be true, what’s the catch?” We kid you not, there are no strings attached with these bettor-friendly offers. The bonuses are claimed by simply creating a playing account and funding it with your own money (as much or as little as you’d like). That deposit of yours is what’s matched in free play by the betting site.
Just imagine what you could do with that free play — stake a bet on the NCAA Tournament? Wager on the upcoming Olympics? Or how about MLB games? Heck, why not all three? Bonuses go a long way when wagering and you can spend the free cash as you’d like!
