Wow, madness sure took over the start of the tournament! Who had Auburn and Kentucky losing to Yale and Oakland on their bingo card? Talk about unexpected!
However, the second round was the complete opposite as the favorites took over. Out of 16 games over the weekend, the favorites won 15. Talk about chalk!
Sweet 16 Round
Then, the Sweet 16 Round saw some crazy upsets take center stage again. Clemson got rid of #2 Arizona, while Alabama did the same with the #1 Tar Heels. Illinois capped a winning day for the underdogs after beating Iowa State.
We saw another #1 seed say goodbye after Duke defeated Houston. Earlier, the tournament’s darling, #11 NC State had gotten past #2 Marquette.
Elite 8 Round
With all this madness going on, it’s funny that the most consistent thing has been UConn’s domination of every rival. In the Elite 8 round, they annihilated Illinois, 77-52. Now, they will face the offensive juggernaut that is Alabama. Meanwhile, Zach Edey and Purdue will go against DJ Burns, NC State and 90% of America as the Boilermakers will be tasked with stopping a Cinderella run that evokes some of the 1983 magic.
Final Four Round
- NC State vs. Purdue – 6:09 PM (TBS)
- Alabama vs. UConn – 8:49 PM (TBS)
March Madness Odds
What to expect from the Final Four round? Join us as we take a look at the updated March Madness odds.
UConn continues to see its stock go up and is now and odds-on favorite, while Purdue is second, at around +200, after the weekend.
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.
OddsTrader’s Betting Edge
- KenPom’s No. 1 team in the nation and No. 1 overall in the AP Poll is UConn and they’ve looked the part with lopsided victories over Stetson, Northwestern, San Diego State and Illinois.
- UConn has won all their games since 2023 by an average of 23.1 points.
- A bettor wagering $100 on NC State’s moneyline during their 9-game winning streak would be up $1850.
- No team seeded 9th or lower has won a Final Four game. NC State is the 7th double-digit seeded to make it to the semifinals.
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Some bettors might argue that Purdue and Zach Edey get a friendly whistle and they might have a point. Boilermakers average 22 free throws per game this tournament.
- Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 round for the 5th consecutive year. Meanwhile, Illinois makes it this far for the first time in 19 years.
The Top 4
Below, you will find the current odds for the top college basketball teams to win this season’s national college basketball championship. All updated odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review).
| Team | Odds to Win |
| UConn Huskies | -195 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | +205 |
| North Carolina State Wolfpack | +1500 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +1800 |
Top 4 Picks
Below, you’ll find information on five teams our experts believe can win it all this year. All five of them have made it through to the Sweet 16 round.
1. UConn Huskies (-195)
- Current Record: 35-3
The UConn Huskies are on an 11-game winning streak. Even more impressive than that is the fact that dating to their championship run from last year, they’ve won every game in the tournament by an average of 23.1 points.
The Huskies have only lost three games this season. Those losses came against Kansas, Seton Hall and Creighton on the road.
They’re looking to repeat as National Champions this season, despite losing a lot of players from last year’s championship team.
UConn brought in Cam Spencer, who transferred out of Rutgers. He’s become the highest scorer on the team and is one of the many reasons why the Huskies are favorites to repeat as champions again this season.
To begin the year, UConn was +1800 to win the National Championship. Now they’re down to -195 and have proven that they’ll be a tough out again this year. Hopefully, some of you grabbed UConn before the season began.
2. Purdue Boilermakers (+205)
- Current Record: 33-4
The Boilermakers are known for having their random moments. They’ve been bounced out of March Madness multiple times against mid-major teams and ultimately haven’t been consistent enough when it matters the most.
Purdue’s offense is dominant from deep and has Zach Edey in the middle to create chaos, although they forced turnovers on only 14% of possessions during the regular season.
However, it seems Matt Painter has been able to get over the hump, and the Boilermakers have looked dominant on both sides of the glass. They destroyed Utah State and Gonzaga before running into a bit of trouble against Tennessee.
Nonetheless, Edey received support from his teammates and benefited from some favorable calls from the officials, which helped the Boilermakers put the game to rest.
It will be interesting to see the matchup between Edey and fan-favorite DJ Burns.
3. NC State (+1500)
- Current Record: 26-14
It’s been quite the March Madness for NC State, the #11 seed that is on a Cinderella run reminiscent of the magical 1983 run under Jim Valvano.
It seems like the 2024 Wolfpack is living by Valvano’s motto: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” NC State’s only chance of making March Madness was winning the ACC tournament, and after winning 9 games in a row, here they are.
DJ Burns Jr. will face Zach Edey in what will be his toughest matchup of the season. However, no one has been able to stop the big man so far.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (+1800)
- Current Record: 25-11
Alabama punched their ticket to the Final Four with victories over Charleston, Grand Canyon, North Carolina, and Clemson. However, the only real surprise was the upset over the Tar Heels. Having said that, the Crimson Tide has been an offensive juggernaut, and it seems oddsmakers can’t set the number high enough.
In 6 out of the last 7 games they played, the total score exceeded 172 points, and they still managed to surpass the over in 5 of those games. The exception was the Clemson game in the Elite 8 round, with a total of 163 points that, as you guessed, went over.
Whether they can score as much against UConn remains to be seen.
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, BetRivers, DraftKings 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, PointsBet, Bet365, BetRivers, DraftKings and FanDuel. 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.
