NCAA Tournament Odds Power Rankings After the First Round

Zachary Cook

The NCAA Tournament is now underway, and there are plenty of potential threats to cut down the nets on April 3 from NRG Stadium in Houston.

Below, we’ll dive into the top ten favorites to win the Men’s NCAA Tournament on the FanDuel Sportsbook.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (+500) (Opening Round: +500)

The top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide kicked off their opening-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament with a convincing 96-75 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They collide in the nightcap of the second round against Maryland, who snuck out a victory over West Virginia. Alabama has continued to sit with +500 odds as the current favorite.

2. Houston Cougars (+700) (Opening Round: +750)

It wasn’t as easy for the Houston Cougars in their first tournament game as for Alabama, but they still managed to advance over the Northern Kentucky Norse via a 63-52 win. Houston saw their opening-round odds bet down to +700 entering their second-round matchup against Auburn.

3. (Tie) Texas Longhorns (+1000) (Opening Round: +1200)

The Texas Longhorns took it to their first-round opponent, the Colgate Raiders, defeating them by 20 points. The Longhorns saw their odds rise after that victory from +1200 to +1000 ahead of their second-round game against ten-seed Penn State.

3. (Tie) UCLA Bruins (+1000) (Opening Round: +1000)

There was never a moment in their opening-round matchup against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs where the UCLA Bruins looked threatened. They ultimately cruised to an 86-53 victory. Despite their convincing first-round victory, UCLA’s +1000 odds remained unchanged as they get set to take on Northwestern.

5. Duke Blue Devils (+1200) (Opening Round: +1700)

One of the notorious blue bloods, the Duke Blue Devils kicked off their tournament with a big bang, dropping Oral Roberts 74-51, a team many felt were poised to pull off the upset. After an impressive opening victory in the tournament, the Blue Devils saw a sizable odds shift, getting bet down from +1700 to +1200 before their contest against Tennessee.

6. (Tie) Kansas Jayhawks (+1300) (Opening Round: +1300)

Perennial powerhouse Kansas pulled away in the second half of their matchup with the Howard Bison, ultimately throttling them 96-68. Kansas didn’t see any line movement ahead of their second-round matchup against Arkansas, with them remaining at +1300.

6. (Tie) Connecticut Huskies (+1300) (Opening Round: +1700)

The Connecticut Huskies pulled away from Iona in the opening round and picked up an 87-63 victory. Despite being a four seed in their region, the Huskies remain one of the favorites in the tournament and were bet down from +1700 to +1300 before their second-round tilt with St. Mary’s.

8. Gonzaga Bulldogs (+1500) (Opening Round: +1300)

The Gonzaga Bulldogs took some time to pull away, but they did just that in the opening round over the Grand Canyon Antelopes. Despite their victory, the Bulldogs were the only team inside the top ten to see their odds drop, where they fell from +1300 to +1500. Gonzaga faces off with TCU in second-round action.

9. (Tie) Marquette Golden Eagles (+1700) (Opening Round: +2000)

Entering the tournament as a number two seed in the East Region, the Marquette Golden Eagles are among the top-ranked teams to cut down the nets. After defeating Vermont in the first round, the Golden Eagles saw their odds bet down from +2000 to +1700 ahead of their matchup with Michigan State.

9. (Tie) Creighton Blue Jays (+1700) (Opening Round: +2000)

It’s not often you see a six-seed with top-ten odds to win the National Championship, but that’s exactly the case for the Creighton Blue Jays, who also saw their odds rise from +2000 to +1700 after their victory over NC State. The Blue Jays take on the Baylor Bears in second-round action.

9. (Tie) Baylor Bears (+1700) (Opening Round: +2000)

Finishing off the three-way tie for the ninth-shortest odds to capture the NCAA Tournament, the Baylor Bears, the third seed in the South, are sitting at +1700. The Bears saw their odds also jump from +2000 to +1700 after defeating UCSB 74-56. With the Bears taking on the Blue Jays, another team with top-ten odds after Purdue will now be exiting the tournament early.

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