NCAA Championship Odds: Is Michigan State The New Team To Beat?

Steve StarrSteve Starr | July 24, 2019
MSU point guard Cassius Winston celebrating.
Cassius Winston is returning to Michigan State for his senior season. Does that make the Spartans a good value bet to win the 2020 National Championship? Photo credit: @JonKirklandESQ on Twitter.
  • BetOnline has Michigan State (+700) as the new “team to beat” in college basketball
  • A summer full of good news has put the Kansas Jayhawks (+1000) squarely in contention
  • The Florida Gators (+1800) landed their best big man since the Horford/Noah glory days

This week, the sons of both Shaq and Dwyane Wade will be attending NCAA College Basketball Academy as coaches from across the country scout the nation’s top high school players.

While that “do you wanna feel old?” tidbit might be the only newsworthy event in college hoops right now, Vegas did name a new 2020 NCAA National Championship favorite since we last checked in.

Let’s examine the dead-of-summer odds at BetOnline to see which teams might make a splash next March.

Odds to Win 2020 NCAA National Championship

Team Odds
Michigan State +700
Kentucky +800
Duke +900
Kansas +1000
Memphis +1000
Virginia +1100
North Carolina +1400
Louisville +1600
Maryland +1600
Florida +1800
Gonzaga +2000
Villanova +2000
Michigan +2500
Oregon +2800
Texas Tech +2800
Arizona +3300
Auburn +3300
Ohio State +3300
Washington +4000

*Odds taken on 07/23/19

The New Favorite: Michigan State

Widely expected to open at No. 1 when the first poll is released this fall, the Spartans recently jumped two blueblood schools (Duke and Kentucky) to become the Vegas betting favorites.

Senior point guard Cassius Winston (just ranked as the best player in college basketball on NCAA.com) leads a deep, veteran club that’s returning three of its top four scorers, including junior forward Xavier Tillman, who checked in at No. 20 on the same list.

With only one NCAA title in eight Final Four appearances, Tom Izzo will never have a better shot to add to his school’s trophy case.

Fast Risers: Kansas Jayhawks

After an early wave of positive headlines (Devon Dotson announcing his return, Silvio De Sousa winning his appeal, Udoka Azubuike opting out of the NBA Draft), Kansas is getting deeper and deeper as the summer rolls on.

The Jayhawks’ latest additions are Iowa grad transfer Isaiah Moss, one of the nation’s truly elite shooters (42% from three last season), and top-50 recruit Jalen Wilson, who asked out of his letter-of-intent from Michigan when former coach John Beilein surprisingly jumped to the NBA.

Recommended by yours truly at 22/1 in early June, Bill Self’s boys have quickly risen into contender status.

Outside Contenders: Florida Gators

If you’re of a certain age, you probably still remember Al Horford and Joakim Noah leading the Gators to back-to-back national championships in the mid-2000s.

That bit of nostalgia is all the more relevant after Florida landed Kerry Blackshear Jr., a 6-foot 10-inch grad transfer who averaged 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds with Virginia Tech last season.

The big man joins a top-ten recruiting class (the school’s first since 2010), highlighted by projected one-and-done lottery pick Scottie Lewis, who’s jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism will soon make him a Sportscenter regular.

Take a few bites of the Gators while they’re still listed at 18/1.

Steve Starr

Steve is one of the many Americans who spends Sunday watching football on the couch and gorging on heart-clogging eats. He describes himself as a good father, great dog owner, and mediocre gambler and husband.

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