The UCLA Bruins have emerged as one of the top contenders in college basketball this season with a 16-1 straight up and 10-7 against the spread record through their first 17 games. The Bruins sit as the favorite on the odds to win the NCAA Tournament this April.
NCAA basketball championship 2017 odds: UCLA leads Duke on NCAA Tournament futures
The UCLA Bruins have the slight edge on the Duke Blue Devils and the Kentucky Wildcats on the updated odds to win the 2017 NCAA Tournament at the sportsbooks.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
UCLA is a +500 favorite to win the college basketball championship at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Led by a pair of excellent freshmen in forward TJ Leaf and guard Lonzo Ball, the Bruins rank third in the nation in scoring with 92.8 points per game.
The Bruins snapped Kentucky’s 42-game home streak with a 97-92 win back in December, proving that the team could match up with anyone.
Duke (+525 to win the NCAA Tournament) hasn’t looked sharp of late with a 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS record over its last four games with two blowout losses on the road. The Blue Devils have an excellent core with some good experience sprinkled in, and this should be a dangerous team in March if it can start clicking.
The antics of Grayson Allen have become a distraction for Duke, and could be factoring into the team’s recent struggles.
The Wildcats (+550) seem to be playing their way toward a No. 1 seed in March with a 14-2 SU and 11-5 ATS record through the first 16 games of the season. Kentucky’s freshman guard tandem of Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox has created matchup problems for opposing defenses all season long, leading the Wildcats to the second-best offense in the country averaging 93.8 points per game.
The Wildcats are looking for their first championship since 2012.
Nipping on the heels of the three favorites are a handful of solid contenders including Kansas (+1200), North Carolina (+1200), Villanova (+1200), and Baylor (+1400). Kansas and Baylor are both sitting at 15-1 SU and could be headed for a dogfight to win the Big 12 title this year.
Other teams that could find their way into the mix are West Virginia (+1800), Indiana (+2200), Gonzaga (+2200), Oregon (+2200), Wisconsin (+2500), Louisville (+2500), and Florida State (+2500). Gonzaga is a perfect 15-0 SU and 11-3 ATS through its first 15 games.
College Basketball Championship Odds (see the complete list at OddsShark)
UCLA +500
Duke +525
Kentucky +550
Kansas +1200
North Carolina +1200
Villanova +1200
Baylor +1400
West Virginia +1800
Indiana +2200
Gonzaga +2200
Oregon +2200
Wisconsin +2500
Louisville +2500
Florida State +2500
