The newest #1 men’s college basketball team in the nation, the Auburn Tigers, experienced what all top-ranked teams do in their first game in the highest slot – the pressure of expectations, and the presence of a target on their backs. They faced unranked Missouri on Tuesday and barely survived the road test, prevailing 55-54. The team shot just 30 percent from the floor as Missouri ran out to a 10-point lead in the first six minutes of the game, taking advantage of a 1-for-11 shooting start for Auburn. The pressure at the top is real, as Auburn is just finding out.
We have the updated College Baketball betting odds for many of the nation’s contenders to win the national championship in March, so take a look at the new numbers and some of our thoughts about the top teams.
NCAA News: Updated Men’s College Basketball Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gonzaga | 550 |
| Duke, Baylor, Purdue, Auburn | 1000 |
| Arizona, Kansas | 1400 |
| Kentucky, UCLA | 1600 |
| Villanova | 2000 |
| Illinois | 2500 |
| Texas Tech, Houston | 3000 |
| Texas, Michigan State, Wisconsin | 4000 |
| Ohio State, LSU, USC, Tennessee | 5000 |
| Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan | 6600 |
| Florida State, Memphis, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Providence, Marquette, Xavier | 8000 |
| Iowa, Oregon, Miami (FL), Iowa State | 10000 |
| Oklahoma, Florida, Seton Hall, BYU | 12500 |
| Creighton, Virginia, Colorado State, Mississippi State, Loyola-Chicago | 15000 |
North Carolina provides us with an excellent example of how sports betting can overvalue teams on the basis of their historical reputation rather than their present performance. The Tar Heels fell to Miami (FL) and Wake Forest by a combined total of 50 points this week. The Tar Heel defense permitted a combined 183 points in those two games. The roster still looks blue-chip in terms of talent, but would you bet on any other team going through that sort of week to win the national title? Of course not.
Auburn has already gotten a lot of coverage here this week, but I’ll point out one moment from their win over Kentucky. Down the stretch, Jabari Smith knocked down a jumper from the elbow after taking one dribble and elevating over two defenders. The next time down the floor, he drove the lane, used a pump fake to get some space and then fed Walker Kessler for the easy slam. He’s 6’10”. Guys that big shouldn’t have the ability to do all of these things, but he does. He’s definitely my #1 pick in the NBA draft.
Despite the fact that Arizona went to UCLA and got bulldozed by 16, the Wildcats still look like a solid contender, and Oumar Ballo is a big reason. The 7-footer was simply dominant in wins at Cal and Stanford, scoring a combined 35 points, pulling down nine boards and blocking four shots. He only missed two shots in the two games combined, and he went 13 of 16 from the free-throw line. Last year, he only made 55 percent of his free throws, so this is a player trending upward as well.
Baylor cooled off a hot Kansas State team on Tuesday after beating West Virginia and Oklahoma on the road. James Akinjo has returned from injury, and Matthew Mayer has found the scoring form he had early in the season. In the last three contests, he is scoring 16.0 points and pulling down 3.7 boards per game, making 42.9% of his three-pointers.
Duke survived a visit from unranked Clemson on Tuesday, winning by two. One of the best stories out of Duke in the last few weeks is the play of A.J. Griffin. He had been a reserve player who would come on and score here and there, but he hit double figures in five out of six games and became a starter, putting up 22 points in his first game with the first five. He nailed five three-balls against Syracuse on Saturday, taking advantage of that 2-3 zone, and having that kind of perimeter presence will help the Blue Devils.
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