The Kansas Jayhawks outlasted the North Carolina Tar Heels in last year’s college basketball National Championship and took home the hardware for the first time in 14 years under legendary head coach, Bill Self.
However, the Jayhawks are not currently favored to do it all over again, as that distinction belongs to the Houston Cougars sitting atop the odds board at +950.
Rounding out the top five, according to FanDuel, is North Carolina (+1200), Kentucky (+1200), Duke (+1200), and Kansas (+1400). But are any of these teams worthy of a wager this early or is it wise to watch and wait while the rosters take shape?
The choice is yours but OddsTrader is going to reveal the odds of the preseason favorites and provide a quick primer on the nation’s top 10 entering the 2022-2023 season. Now, let’s analyze the NCAA Basketball odds and get a jump on the season!
OddsTrader’s Betting Edge
There’s a reason Houston is at the top of the list and it’s because many of their key players are returning for the 2022-2023 season.
Duke has the top-rated recruiting class thus far, with four five-star recruits ready to make an impact at the next level.
Eric Musselman is the man responsible for constructing the best recruiting class in Arkansas history with three five-star recruits, Nick Smith, Jordan Walsh, and Anthony Black.
The conventional wisdom is that the low odds on the Gonzaga Bulldogs is more a manifestation of them being a public team rather than a real threat.
Here you’ll find the betting odds for the Top 10 college basketball teams. All odds are courtesy of FanDuel.
| Team | Odds |
| Houston Cougars | +950 |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | +1200 |
| Kentucky Wildcats | +1200 |
| Duke Blue Devils | +1200 |
| Kansas Jayhawks | +1400 |
| UCLA Bruins | +1400 |
| Arkansas Razorbacks | +1500 |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | +1600 |
| Baylor Bears | +1800 |
| Arizona Wildcats | +2000 |
OddsTrader’s Preseason Top 10
Houston Cougars (+950)
- Last Year’s Record: 32-6
- 2022 March Madness: No. 5 Seed – Elite Eight – Lost to Villanova
There’s a reason Houston is at the top of the list and it’s because many of their key players are returning for the 2022-2023 season.
That’s unusual in this day and age but it will give the Cougars valuable experience that most teams are lacking, with so many of the stars going one-and-done. Houston will also add the highest-rated recruit in the program’s history, 6’8” Jarace Walker, who was ranked as the No. 1 power forward in this 2022 class.
North Carolina Tar Heels (+1200)
- Last Year’s Record: 29-10
- 2022 March Madness: No. 8 Seed – Championship Game – Lost to Kansas
The Tar Heels exceeded all expectations in last year’s Big Dance and will likely see at least a few of their starters coming back to Chapel Hill. We should also note that the Heels will be welcoming a trio of highly touted recruits this season with Seth Trimble being the most notable.
A bitter loss as a notable underdog in the championship game should only serve North Carolina well this season.
Kentucky Wildcats (+1200)
- Last Year’s Record: 26-8
- 2022 March Madness: No. 2 Seed – First Round – Lost to St. Peters
There’s an excellent chance Kentucky’s leading scorer from last season, Oscar Tshiebwe, will be pounding the glass and filling the rim again this season for the Wildcats.
Tshiebwe was the leading rebounder in the nation, averaging 15.1 boards per game, and will bolster Kentucky’s chances if he decides to eschew the NBA for a chance to enhance his draft status with one more year of seasoning under his belt.
Factor in another key return in playmaker, Sahvir Wheeler, who was third in the nation in assists with 6.9 per game, while adding a pair of five-star recruits in Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace, and the Cats could be the team to beat.
Duke Blue Devils (+1200)
- Last Year’s Record: 32-7
- 2022 March Madness: No. 2 Seed – Final Four – Lost to North Carolina
The Coach K era has come to a close and 34-year-old Jon Scheyer will attempt to fill shoes that are seemingly unfillable. Nevertheless, the Blue Devils have the top-rated recruiting class thus far, with four five-star recruits ready to make an impact at the next level.
The kids had better bring it because most of Duke’s offense will be making the jump to the next level.
Kansas Jayhawks (+1400)
- Last Year’s Record: 32-6
- 2022 March Madness: No. 1 Seed – Championship Game – Defeated North Carolina
The defending national champions will hope that their pair of five-star recruits, Gradey Dick and MJ Rice, along with four-star big man, Ernest Udeh Jr., he of the 7’2” wingspan, will provide enough sizzle in the Kansas lineup to supplant the exodus of talent from the roster. If anyone can get the most out of young talent, it’s Bill Self.
UCLA Bruins (+1400)
- Last Year’s Record: 27-8
- 2022 March Madness: No. 4 Seed – Sweet 16 – Lost to North Carolina
Johnny Juzang and Peyton Watson will be entering the NBA Draft but Jaime Jaquez has wisely decided to return for another year in a Bruins uniform and will be the team’s on-court and off-court leader.
Combo guard Amari Bailey in the backcourt and big man Adem Bona in the paint are the two five-star recruits joining the roster this season and will be an added bonus for a team that has plenty of depth this year.
Arkansas Razorbacks (+1500)
- Last Year’s Record: 28-9
- 2022 March Madness: No. 4 Seed – Elite Eight – Lost to Duke
Head coach Eric Musselman has made a big difference since he arrived in Fayetteville, as evidenced by the Hogs’ back-to-back elite Eight appearances.
And this season should be another opportunity for his squad to make a deep run into the tournament as Musselman is the man responsible for constructing the best recruiting class in the program’s history with three five-star recruits in Nick Smith, Jordan Walsh, and Anthony Black competing for the Razorbacks this season.
Gonzaga Bulldogs (+1600)
- Last Year’s Record: 28-4
- 2022 March Madness: No. 1 Seed – Sweet 16 – Lost to Arkansas
For the second consecutive year, Gonzaga did everything right except win a national title. Last year they bowed to Baylor in the Championship Game and this year they were ousted in the Sweet 16 by Arkansas, despite being installed as 9 ½ point favorites. The Zags were not only the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging over 87 points per game but also had the nation’s top point differential at a whooping +20.9.
But Gonzaga will lose several of their starters including seven-foot freshman, Chet Holmgren, this season. And while that may not preclude them from returning to their perennial perch atop the pedestrian West Coast Conference, it would not surprise us to see another ouster in the Sweet 16 this year.
The conventional wisdom is that the relatively low odds on this year’s edition of the Gonzaga Bulldogs is more a manifestation of them being a public team rather than any real threat of them challenging for a national title.
Baylor Bears (+1800)
- Last Year’s Record: 27-7
- 2022 March Madness: No. 1 Seed – Second Round – Lost to North Carolina
Freshmen Kendall Brown and Jeremy Sochan, along with graduating senior guard James Akinjo, will be headed to the NBA while guard Adam Flagler will explore the NBA Draft but keep his eligibility open.
Matthew Mayer has done the same but he has also added his name to the transfer portal. There will be quite a few changes and they will likely not be for the better in Waco this season.
Arizona Wildcats (+2000)
- Last Year’s Record: 33-4
- 2022 March Madness: No. 1 Seed – Sweet 16 – Lost to Houston
The Arizona Wildcats were an offensive juggernaut last season, averaging 84 points per game, trailing only Gonzaga and South Dakota State in that category. This year they wooed Serbian forward Filip Borovicanin and homegrown product, Dylan Anderson, into the fold.
But there’s not much of anything new going on in Tucson now that Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko have moved on to the next level. Furthermore, the Arizona draft class has been uninspiring, to say the least. Don’t expect the same frenetic scoring from the Wildcats this year that we saw last season.
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, MaximBet, PointsBet, Bet365, Unibet, SugarHouse, BetRivers, SBK, FanDuel, and DraftKings 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 the 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 FAQ’s
Question: Where can I bet on the 2023 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, SBK, MaximBet, and DraftKings. 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.
