The College Basketball Road to March: Basketball Tournament Odds
As we head into March, it’s a perfect time to take a look at how we got to this point in the college basketball season. To properly put into context some of the aspects of the season, it’s important to start where we are now. Read on to see the current 2023 college basketball tournament odds so you can keep your eye out on your favorite teams leading up to and during the exciting tournament starting March 14.
Current 2023 College Basketball Tournament Odds
Here are the current top 10 teams with the lowest odds to win the national championship at Circa Sports:
Houston +600
Alabama +950
Kansas +1000
UCLA +1100
Purdue +1500
Arizona +2000
St. Mary’s +2200
TCU +2200
Tennessee +2200
Baylor +2500
The top five teams, Houston, Alabama, Kansas, UCLA and Purdue, seem to be the five teams who are in line to get the four #1 seeds in the tournament. This is important to note, because a #1 seed has won the tournament each of the past five tournaments, and a whopping 24 times (in 37 tournaments) since the field expanded to 64 in 1985.
2023 College Basketball Tournament Opening Odds
Coming into the season, the top 10 looked very different. While teams like Houston, Baylor, Kansas, and UCLA have remained in the top 10, teams like North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky are now nowhere to be found at the top of the odds board. Here were the shortest odds when Circa Sports opened the market back on June 15:
Gonzaga +950
North Carolina +950
Duke +1000
Houston +1400
Kentucky +1400
Baylor +1500
Arkansas +1700
Kansas +1900
Tennessee +2000
UCLA +2000
Tournament Odds Movement
Looking at the five college basketball teams with the best odds to win the tournament, there has been notable movement throughout the season, and all of them could have been had at a much better number than where they currently sit.
Current Open Low High
Houston +600 +1400 +566 +1500 (July 7)
Alabama +950 +4000 +800 +6000 (September 22)
Kansas +1000 +1900 +1000 +3600 (November 27)
UCLA +1100 +2000 +1000 +3000 (November 27)
Purdue +1500 +6500 +1000 +9600 (November 12)
Kansas’ highest odds came after a trip to the Bahamas where they were taken to overtime by Wisconsin and followed that up with a 14-point loss to Tennessee. Meanwhile, UCLA’s highest odds came shortly after they lost back-to-back games to Illinois and Baylor in Las Vegas.
Other notable teams that bettors could have had at significantly higher numbers include St. Mary’s (Currently +2200, opened at +15000), Iowa State (+3500, opened at +20000) and Kansas State (+5000, opened at +20000).
Will one of the steady teams that remained towards the top of the board all year win in March this year? Or will it be a team that a bettor could have had at a big number? We’ll have to watch the tournament to find out. And there’s no better place to watch the tournament than at Circa. You can join us in Las Vegas by booking your spot at the Mega March college basketball viewing party. If you want to place some bets, download the Circa Sports app on iOS or Android to bet right on your phone, or go to your local Circa Sportsbook to bet on basketball in person.