Updated College Basketball Championship Odds – December 20th

We’re about to flip the calendar to 2018 and start conference play in NCAA basketball, so it’s time to take a look at the latest College Basketball Championship odds of all the contenders to come home with the title when March Madness come to an end next spring. You’ll see some of the usual suspects on this list, but there are also some newcomers, as Texas A&M and Wichita State look to take the next step.

Updated College Basketball Championship Odds – December 20th

Check out @CBTonNBC‘s latest college basketball power rankings. https://t.co/D3mjoiR1k5 pic.twitter.com/pV4qByoN8u

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 18, 2017

Duke (9/2)

Some of this has to do with the reputation that Duke has built over the decades. But a lot of it has to do with the fact that they won 11 straight before falling at Boston College. This is a team that rides the offense hard because the defense is still under construction.

Michigan State (5/1)

This team is the inverse of the Blue Devils. They can lock down opponents with their defense, but it’s worth asking whether a philosophy that hasn’t worked in the NBA since the Bad Boys era in Detroit can work in college basketball, when breakdowns are even more likely.

Kentucky (12/1)

John Calipari refers to his team as “young” — but that’s what you get when you run a one-and-done program, you have to teach your incoming freshmen how to win every year. This is a team that can run and gun and get out to big leads, but they’re having a hard time when the game slows down late.

Kansas (12/1)

Devonte Graham had two consecutive 35-point nights for the Jayhawks in the last two weeks. However, there are 346 programs in Division I that get to the free-throw line more efficiently than the Jayhawks. That means that no one’s attacking the rim — which is something that needs to change.

Arizona (12/1)

These odds have a lot more to do with reputation than reality, as this team, which started the year ranked second in the nation, already has three puzzling losses.

Villanova (14/1)

The Wildcats’ demolition of Gonzaga was an impressive win at the Jimmy V Classic. They have the second-most efficient offense in the nation, thanks to Jalen Brunson’s excellent work running the point. Mikal Bridges put up 28 points against Gonzaga as well.

Wichita State (16/1)

The Shockers actually play in a challenging conference now thanks to their move to the American Athletic Conference. So they’ll get tests from the likes of Cincinnati and SMU on the way to the Big Dance. They’ve been a little uneven so far, needing a furious comeback after halftime to take down South Dakota State.

Texas A&M (16/1)

The Aggies went out into the desert and lost to Arizona to take their first setback of the season. Robert Williams remains an enigma, scoring 31 points in his first two games of the season but then just 16 over his next four. He is blocking a lot of shots (14 over his first six games).

North Carolina (20/1)

The Tar Heels took down Michigan in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and Luke Maye continues to pile up points at a fast pace. Maye looks like their best choice in the frontcourt, averaging 20.8 points and 10.3 boards per contest.

Florida (20/1)

Florida just took a beating from Florida State, losing to the Seminoles at home by double digits. The problems came inside as the Seminoles won the battle of the boards on both ends of the floor, as well as points in the paint and second chance points. The lack of size is a real problem that the GAtors will have to solve more effectively.