Editor’s note: This article and the Caesars Sportsbooks odds were updated on November 29, 2023.
This is the second installment of our March Madness 2024 Odds Update and we are still catching our breath from the stunning upsets that occurred in last season’s men’s national college basketball tournament. Below, we will take a look at the upcoming NCAAB season as we review the updated college basketball odds and find out which teams are catching the oddsmakers’ eye.
Make sure to check out OddsTrader’s college basketball Power Rankings as well as a whole host of handicapping tools at your disposal including our proprietary college basketball computer picks once the season draws closer.
OddsTrader’s Betting Edge
- The tallest player in Big Ten history and the reigning National College Player of the Year, Zach Edey, has announced he will return to Purdue for his senior season instead of declaring for the NBA Draft.
- Two recent departures to the NBA Draft will leave a big void in the Kentucky lineup. Not only did Oscar Tshiebwe decide to leave, but Chris Livingston is going with him to seek fame and fortune at the next level.
- Legendary Spartans coach, Tom Izzo, will have plenty to work with this season as he not only has a talented freshmen class entering, but recently found out that A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins are withdrawing from the draft, leaving Michigan State with five of their six top scorers from last season.
- Duke coach, Jon Scheyer, got another fine piece of news over the last few days that their second-leading scorer from last season, Jeremy Roach, has decided to run it back.
- The Cougars will be moving from the AAC to the Big 12 this season and they will be doing it with Jamal Shead returning to their backcourt.
The Top 5
Below, you will find the odds for the top college basketball teams to win this upcoming season’s national college basketball championship. All updated college basketball odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review).
| Team | Odds to Win National Championship |
| Kansas | +1100 |
| Kentucky | +1400 |
| Purdue | +1400 |
| Duke | +1400 |
| Arizona | +1600 |
| UConn | +1800 |
| Michigan State | +2000 |
| Houston | +2000 |
| Marquette | +2200 |
| Tennessee | +2500 |
1. Kansas Jayhawks (+1100)
- Last Year’s Record: 28-8
- 2022 March Madness: No. 1 Seed – 2nd Round – Lost to Arkansas
Chris Johnson, the Jayhawks’ second-highest ESPN-ranked rookie (42) after No. 25 Elmarko Jackson, has rescinded his letter of intent and requested a release, which means he will not be plying his trade with Kansas next season.
This is not the news Kansas coach, Bill Self, wanted to hear after a massive exodus of talent left for the NBA.
New Arrivals
- Elmarko Jackson (No. 25 in ESPN 100)
- Jamari McDowell (four-star)
- Marcus Adams (four-star)
- Nicolas Timberlake (17.7 PPG at Towson)
- Arterio Morris (4.6 PPG at Texas)
- Hunter Dickinson (18.5 PPG at Michigan)
2. Kentucky Wildcats (+1400)
- Last Year’s Record: 22-12
- 2022 March Madness: No. 6 Seed – 2nd Round – Lost to Kansas State
The Wildcats have an embarrassment of riches in terms of their incoming freshmen, easily the top recruiting class in the nation. But two recent departures to the NBA Draft will leave a big void in the Kentucky lineup.
Not only did Oscar Tshiebwe decide to leave, but Chris Livingston is going with him to seek fame and fortune at the next level. Antonio Reeves did withdraw from the draft, but his status on the Kentucky roster is nonetheless tenuous.
New Arrivals
- Justin Edwards (No. 3 in ESPN 100)
- D.J. Wagner (No. 4 in ESPN 100)
- Aaron Bradshaw (No. 6 in ESPN 100)
- Robert Dillingham (No. 14 in ESPN 100)
- Reed Sheppard (No. 22 in ESPN 100).
3. Michigan State Spartans (+2000)
- Last Year’s Record: 21-13
- 2022 March Madness: No. 7 Seed – Sweet 16 – Lost to Kansas State
Legendary Spartans coach, Tom Izzo, will have plenty to work with this season as he not only has a talented freshmen class entering, but he recently found out that A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins are withdrawing from the draft, leaving Michigan State with five of their six top scorers from last season.
New Arrivals
- Xavier Booker (No. 15 in ESPN 100)
- Coen Carr (No. 24 in ESPN 100)
- Jeremy Fears (No. 26 in ESPN 100)
- Gehrig Normand (four-star).
4. Duke Blue Devils (+1400)
- Last Year’s Record: 27-9
- 2022 March Madness: No. 5 Seed – 2nd Round – Lost to Tennessee
The preseason favorite to cut down the nets 10 months from now got two enormous boosts when 7-foot center and last year’s leading scorer, Kyle Filipowski, alerted his coaches in April that he would be back in uniform.
But Duke coach, Jon Scheyer, got another fine piece of news over the last few days that their second-leading scorer from last season, Jeremy Roach, has decided to run it back. No wonder the Devils are the oddsmakers’ choice.
New Arrivals
- Jared McCain (No. 10 in ESPN 100)
- Sean Stewart (No. 18 in ESPN 100)
- Caleb Foster (No. 23 in ESPN 100)
- T.J. Power (No. 31 in ESPN 100)
5. Purdue Boilermakers (+1400)
- Last Year’s Record: 29-6
- 2022 March Madness: No. 1 Seed – 1st Round – Lost to Fairleigh Dickinson
The tallest player in Big Ten history and the reigning National College Player of the Year, Zach Edey, has announced he will return to Purdue for his senior season instead of declaring for the NBA Draft.
That is an enormous boost for the team that was unceremoniously dumped as the No. 1 seed in the opening round by little-known No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson.
New Arrivals
- Myles Colvin (four-star)
- Lance Jones (13.8 PPG at Southern Illinois)
Props and Bonuses
You can find a list of prop bets at all of the best U.S.-licensed online sportsbooks found right here at OddsTrader. Online sportsbooks like BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, Bet365, Unibet, SugarHouse, BetRivers, SBK, and FanDuel all feature props and futures like conference winners, Final Four participants, and national champions, as well as offering generous signup bonuses.
Shop for Odds
If you want to compare the various NCAA Basketball odds then click on the link and you will see the point spreads, moneylines, and totals at all of the best books in the industry. Remember, it’s important to be able to compare and contrast lines at a glance so that you get the best odds for your betting buck.
NCAA Basketball Power Rankings
Getting keen insight into how each of the playoff teams stacks up is easy when you check out the OddsTrader NCAA Basketball Power Rankings page. Here you will see the average line, the power line suggested by OddsTrader’s AI algorithms, and Bettor’s Edge which is the difference between the two.
NCAA Basketball Computer Picks
If you go to the OddsTrader NCAA Basketball Computer Picks section you can see what the OT algorithms project and how the results compare to those predictions.
College Basketball Betting FAQs
Question: Where can I bet on the 2024 NCAA Basketball National Championship?
Answer: The best online sportsbooks are the safest online sportsbooks, which are those licensed in jurisdictions where online sports betting is legal in the United States.
The top-rated books are BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, PointsBet, Bet365, Unibet, SugarHouse, BetRivers, and SBK. All offer a wide variety of NCAAM props, futures, and point spreads.
Question: What types of bets are popular with NCAA Basketball?
Answer: The most popular bet is the point spread bet where the underdog is getting points or the favorite is giving points. However, moneylines, where no point spread is involved have grown increasingly popular, as have over/under, or total bets, where bettors can wager over or under on the combined total of the two teams in that game.
Question: Do I have to bet a lot?
Answer: No, the minimum bet is as low as $1 and accounts can be funded with as little as $10 at many of the books across the nation.
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
