After a long summer break, the time has come for the new college basketball season with the tip-off set for Monday, November 6 with a full slate of games all day long.
Bountiful player movements during the offseason make the new campaign very difficult to predict, as many teams have a legitimate right to hope for a deep NCAAB tournament run.
With rosters all set and practices and media days behind us, we are ready to share the final predictions on the potential Final Four lineup and the winner of the National Championship game, scheduled for April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Current Outright To Win NCAAB 2023/24 Odds
| Team | Outright To Win Odds |
|---|---|
| Duke | +1100 |
| Kansas | +1100 |
| Purdue | +1100 |
| Michigan State | +1600 |
| Creighton | +2000 |
| Marquette | +2000 |
| Tennessee | +2000 |
| Kentucky | +2000 |
| Houston | +2000 |
| Connecticut | +2200 |
Our March Madness 2024 Winner Pick: Michigan State Spartans (+1600) with BetMGM
Most popular real money US sportsbooks consider Michigan State only as the fifth favorite for the national championship, but we see enough reasons to back them at lucrative +1600 odds.
The Spartans were stopped by Kansas State Wildcats in the Sweet 16 round last year in overtime. They are fully reloaded ahead of the new campaign, returning almost an entire lineup from last year, including A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker, who make the best backcourt duo in the nation.
Hoggard is one of the best point guards in the league with the sixth-best assist rate last season while Walker established himself as one of the premier guards with a stellar campaign in which he averaged 14.8 points per game while shooting above 40% from downtown.
Speaking of elite shooters from the perimeter, the Spartans also return Jaden Akins, whose numbers we expect to improve drastically compared to the last season. Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko complete the starting five while the likes of Xavier Booker, Tre Holloman, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler, and Carson Cooper provide outstanding depth on the bench.
With all due respect to the rest of the league, it is very hard to find a weak link on this roster and we just have to back them at +1600 odds.
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To Reach Final Four Future Bets & Odds
| Team | Outright To Win Odds |
|---|---|
| Duke | +330 |
| Kansas | +330 |
| Purdue | +330 |
| Michigan State | +430 |
| Creighton | +550 |
| Marquette | +600 |
| Tennessee | +600 |
| Kentucky | +600 |
| Houston | +600 |
| Connecticut | +605 |
Duke Blue Devils to Reach Final Four (+380) with DraftKings
No. 2 Duke Blue Devils are another serious contender with a stacked roster in Jon Scheyer’s second year at the helm. Duke’s fans are still trying to adjust to life without Mike Krzyzewski, who retired following a Final Four appearance in 2022 after 42 years in charge of the team.
Duke may have lost the likes of Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead in the offseason, but one of the main Wooden Award candidates, Kyle Filipowski, and Tyrese Proctor are back alongside four five-star prospects among an incoming freshman class.
Both Proctor and Filipowski refused a likely first-round NBA Draft selection at the expense of competing for the college basketball crown for one more time. When you add the sophomore forward, Mark Mitchell, who is known as a defensive specialist, you get a truly special team very much capable of going all the way.
While North Carolina and Miami have enough talent of their own to compete in the ACC, it is Duke’s conference to lose and we fancy these Blue Devils to win it at +130 odds.
The DraftKings sportsbook app has them to reach the Final Four at attractive +380 odds while they are +1300 to win the national championship with BetMGM. Value-wise, you can hardly make a mistake going for either option. Final Four is our favorite one.
Purdue Boilermakers to Reach the Final Four (+400) with DraftKings
Zach Edey became the inaugural Canadian to win the prestigious John R. Wooden Award last year and the first Purdue Boilermakers to earn such an accolade since Glenn Robinson in 1994. As soon as he announced the return to West Lafayette for one more shot at the title, the Boilermakers were instantly moved to a prime contender.
Edey led Purdue to an amazing regular season campaign thanks to which they earned the top seed for the NCAA Tournament last year. A horrendous shooting display saw them suffer a shocking first-round exit there as Edey and company are determined to make amends this time around.
The Boilermakers kept the core of the team for the new season, having only lost the likes of Brandon Newman and David Jenkins this summer. Their roster has, however, been significantly upgraded with the arrival of a four-star guard Myles Colvin whose athleticism and ability to find multiple routes to points could make a serious impact.
It is very hard to ignore Purdue after they returned the entire team that locked in a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a dominant regular-season campaign last year. Zach Edey is the main Wooden Award favorite by some distance. DraftKings has him at +175 for the prestigious prize with Duke’s Kyle Filipowski as the second favorite at +700 odds.
There is everything to like about Purdue to reach the Final Four at the +400 odds. We have nothing against those who want to back them to win the whole thing +1300 with BetMGM, either.
Villanova Wildcats to Reach the Final Four (+800) with DraftKings
Finally, we have a little surprise for the last team to complete the Final Four lineup. Instead of opting for the usual suspects such as Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Houston, or Marquette, we have selected Villanova Wildcats at lucrative +800 odds.
After a disappointing campaign in which they completely missed out on the NCAA Tournament last year, the Wildcats have done an amazing job in the transfer portal to address key issues (shooting and offense) while retaining key players on the roster.
Eric Dixon is one of the best bigs in the Big East. He led the team with 15.4 points per game last time out. The offense will not rely only on him anymore as the team’s co-star Justin Moore looks healthy and ready to feature from the start after playing only 13 of 34 outings last time out through the Achilles injury.
On top of this duo, Villanova will be stronger for three more prolific scorers after acquiring Hakim Hart from Maryland, TJ Bamba from Washington State, and Tyler Burton from Richmond in the transfer portal. The ceiling is high for this group of players and we must see the value in backing the Wildcats to make it to the Final Four at the +800 odds.
