Updated College Basketball Championship Odds – Oct. 22nd Edition

It’s been more than seven months since Villanova defeated Michigan, 79-62, for the Wildcats’ second national championship in three seasons. Now, we’re just a couple of weeks away from the first games in the 2018-19 NCAA men’s basketball season, so it’s time to look down the road at sports betting futures on the team that will be cutting down the nets at the end of next year’s Final Four. We’ve put up a list of the current college basketball championship odds on all of the teams listed at 100-1 or better as well as some insights about some of the main contenders.

Updated College Basketball Championship Odds – Oct. 22nd Edition

Here’s a look at the college basketball preseason AP top 10: 1. Kansas 2. Kentucky 3. Gonzaga 4. Duke 5. Virginia 6. Tennessee 7. Nevada 8. North Carolina 9. Villanova 10. Michigan State

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 22, 2018

Contender Odds to Win the College Basketball Championship

• Duke                                                                                                                                       5/1
• Kentucky                                                                                                                                11/2
• Gonzaga                                                                                                                                15/2
• Kansas                                                                                                                                   17/2
• North Carolina, Villanova                                                                                                     10/1
• Nevada                                                                                                                                   12/1
• Virginia                                                                                                                                   18/1
• Tennessee                                                                                                                             22/1
• Oregon                                                                                                                                   25/1
• West Virginia                                                                                                                         30/1
• Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA                                                                                        35/1
• Indiana, Syracuse                                                                                                                 40/1
• Auburn                                                                                                                                   45/1
• Florida, Wichita State                                                                                                           50/1
• Purdue, Florida State                                                                                                           60/1
• Texas Tech, Virginia Tech                                                                                                   70/1
• Kansas State                                                                                                                         80/1
• Cincinnati, Miami (FL), N.C. State, Ohio State, Texas                                                      85/1
• LSU                                                                                                                                         100/1

Kentucky returns with another group of blue-chip freshmen, but one thing that sets this team apart from prior years is the fact three sophomores are returning. The “one and done” that John Calipari has put together in Lexington usually means that most of the elite talent heads to the pros after one season, but the addition of this leadership could keep the Wildcats from some of the headaches that often plague them come tournament time. Kansas has junior Udoka Azubuike inside who will lead a team, along with a number of key transfers who will contribute immediately, propelling the Jayhawks to national contention once again. Duke may have the best recruiting class ever reported in the annals of college basketball. They have three of the top five prospects overall coming to join their freshman class in R.J. Barrett, Cameron Reddish and Zion Williamson. Along with Tre Jones, these three will enter the starting rotation from Day One. Williamson is visible all over YouTube thanks to his ability to throw down dunks in games that look NBA-ready. Barrett could be the top pick in next summer’s NBA draft. He plays for the Canadian national team, which took down an American team in FIBA play. And Reddish might be better than both of them. Oregon followed up a Final Four appearance two seasons ago with some difficulties in terms of chemistry last year, as graduate transfers MiKyle McIntosh and Elijah Brown, along with Troy Brown Jr., who just went one-and-done, never really meshed with the rest of the team. Those three have gone, and now freshmen Louis King and Bol Bol headline the incoming freshman class. Payton Pritchard is already a favorite for conference Player of the Year at the point. UCLA probably needs to get past the Sweet Sixteen for coach Steve Alford to keep his job. Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands, who came in as blue-chip recruits, are back for their sophomore seasons, and five-star center Moses Brown headlines a stellar freshman class. However, Shareef O’Neal (heart surgery) and Tyger Campbell (ACL) are already out for this season. While Jalen Hill and Cody Riley are back after serving season-length suspensions for shoplifting in China, it will be interesting to see how they mesh after that much time away. Virginia has had a long, long offseason to think about their awful ending in the NCAA tournament last year, when they went down as a 1-seed, the first time that had ever happened. They could take a top seed again, thanks to a backcourt that has Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome once again, and center Jack Salt returns for his senior year. De’Andre Hunter is a terrific wing and should start this year. The doubters will likely be there until the Cavaliers can show some mental strength on the game’s big stage, but don’t overlook them.