Steve Starr
- BetOnline has Kansas (+500) as the heavy favorite to win the 2020 national championship
- Coach Bill Self says the Jayhawks might rest guys in the Big 12 Tournament
- The Dayton Flyers (+1000) have won 20 straight games heading into the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
After the college basketball season started with six different No. 1 teams in the first eight weeks, Kansas has brought stability at the top of the rankings with 16 straight wins over a span of two months.
The Jayhawks wrapped up the Big 12 regular-season title with a 66-62 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday and, in all likelihood, will remain the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens in this week’s Big 12 tourney.
Examining the board at BetOnline, let’s look at what schools’ odds are surging with March Madness just over a week away.
ODDS TO WIN 2020 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
| Team | Current Odds | Trending | Odds as of Jan. 14, 2020 |
| Kansas | +500 | ↑ | +1000 |
| Gonzaga | +800 | ↑ | +1000 |
| Dayton | +1000 | ↑ | +2500 |
| Michigan State | +1000 | ↑ | +1400 |
| Baylor | +1200 | ↑ | +1400 |
| Duke | +1200 | ↓ | +900 |
| Kentucky | +1400 | ↔ | +1400 |
| Florida State | +1600 | ↓ | +1200 |
| Louisville | +2000 | ↓ | +1000 |
| Maryland | +2000 | ↓ | +1400 |
| San Diego State | +2000 | ↑ | +2500 |
| Arizona | +2500 | ↓ | +2000 |
| Auburn | +2500 | ↔ | +2500 |
| Creighton | +2500 | ↑ | N/A |
| Oregon | +2500 | ↓ | +1600 |
| Seton Hall | +2500 | ↔ | +2500 |
| West Virginia | +2500 | ↑ | N/A |
| Ohio State | +3300 | ↓ | +1400 |
| Villanova | +3300 | ↑ | N/A |
DOMINANT JAYHAWKS REMAIN NUMBER 1
If you’re contemplating a wager on the Jayhawks, it might be worth letting the Big 12 Tournament play out first.
Kansas is slated to play the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Iowa State on Thursday afternoon, but Kansas coach Bill Self was recently quoted as saying “it’s not a win-at-all-costs tournament.”
Big Doke, Big 12 Player of the Year ?
Udoka Azubuike becomes the 9th @KUHoops player to win the @Big12Conference‘s highest award ?? pic.twitter.com/G0deP9ZMi4
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 8, 2020
Should Self take the opportunity to rest Udoka Azubuike, Devon Dotson and Marcus Garrett — given that all three played through minor injuries in recent weeks — an early exit from the tourney might help you get tastier odds than the +500 offered today.
FLYING UP THE BOARD
Listed at +2500 in mid-January, Dayton now has shorter odds (+1000) than college hoops heavyweights such as Duke (+1200) and Kentucky (+1400) after reeling off 20 straight wins. Led by the high-flying, rim-rocking Obi Toppin, the Flyers will land a No. 1 seed in the March Madness bracket if they can win this weekend’s Atlantic 10 Tournament.
After dropping four of five games in early February, preseason No. 1 Michigan State (+1000) surged down the stretch, winning their last five contests to capture a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with Maryland and Wisconsin.
Obi Toppin is putting on a show! ??
? Threw the ball down like Dwight
? 180 dunk
? Between-the-legs dunk pic.twitter.com/gj6tGSg6W6— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2020
Following a tumultuous season that saw senior guard Cassius Winston deal with the loss of his brother, the Spartans’ odds will likely shorten even further if Tom Izzo’s club can win their second-straight Big Ten Tournament championship as the No. 2 seed.
Finally, avoid San Diego State at +2000. The Aztecs’ upset loss to Utah State in Saturday’s Mountain West title game will likely cost the team a number-one seed in the tournament.
Jay Wright’s Villanova club is a much stronger bet at +3300. Heading into this week’s Big East tournament in New York, the red-hot Wildcats have won seven of their past eight.
