2021-22 NCAA Men's College Basketball Betting Futures
After one month of fantastic Men's College Basketball matchups, the action on the hardwood has led to a new team at the top of the polls, but oddsmakers are not in agreement. Despite handing Gonzaga their first defeat of the 2021 season, 84-81, as 8-point underdogs in Las Vegas, Duke's victory barely moved the needle in the NCAA Futures' betting market. According to the odds at SI Sportsbook, Mark Few's squad remains a sizable favorite (+350) well ahead of Duke (+800) and the rest of the field.
Let's dive and take a look at the top contenders and their current odds in the NCAA Championship futures' market!
Check out the latest odds at SI Sportsbook
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CONTENDERS
1. Duke (7-0 SU, 3-2-2 ATS)
Opening Odds: +1600 / Current Odds: +800
Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, in his final season at the helm of Duke Basketball, has guided the Blue Devils to the top of the polls after an impressive 7-0 start to the season. Duke has already beaten No. 9 Kentucky as well as No. 3 Gonzaga in the first month of the season forcing oddsmakers to slash their preseason odds of +1600 in half to +800. Beating the then No. 1 team in college basketball, earned Duke the top status in the national polls, but not in the eyes of SI Sportsbook as Duke remains behind the Bulldogs as the second overall betting choice in the futures market.
2. Purdue (6-0 SU, 5-1 ATS)
Opening Odds: +2000 / Current Odds: +1000
Purdue has looked tremendous in the early portion of the 2021 season after earning wins over North Carolina as well as No. 7 Villanova. Trevion Williams (13.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Zach Edey (17.7ppg, 7.7 rpg) have been outstanding on the Boilermaker frontline, while star guard Jaden Ivey (15.3 ppg, 6.3 ast) has been superb. Purdue has earned the respect of oddsmakers seeing their opening odds of +2000 cut to +1000 following the strong start.
Photo credit: James Snook/USA TODAY Sports
3. Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1 SU, 4-4 ATS)
Opening Odds: +500 / Current Odds: +350
The Bulldogs have arguably the best front court in the nation with Drew Timme (17.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Chet Holmgren (13.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.75 blk). Gonzaga owns wins over No. 7 Texas and No. 5 UCLA. Gonzaga falls from the top spot in the polls following their 84-81 loss to Duke, but despite the setback, remains the top overall betting favorite (+350) at SI Sportsbook.
4. Baylor (7-0 SU, 4-2-1 ATS)
Opening Odds: +1600 / Current Odds: +2000
Baylor lost four of the top five scorers from their Championship squad from last season, but that has not slowed them down in the opening month of this season. The Bears have won seven consecutive games highlighted by a 75-58 win over No. 22 Michigan State. Arizona transfer James Akinjo (10.1 ppg, 6.6 apg) has seamlessly stepped right in, running the show from the point, resulting in a balanced scoring attack that has led to three other starters averaging double digits in scoring. The defending National Champions will welcome No. 4 Villanova to Waco on December 4th in one of the best non-conference matchups of the month.
5. UCLA Bruins (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS)
Opening Odds: +1600 /Current Odds: +1200
After earning a hard-fought 86-77 overtime win over No. 7 Villanova, the Bruins showed some serious kinks in their armor when they were blown out 83-63 by Gonzaga. Star guard Johnny Juzang (17.4 ppg) is once again leading the way for Mick Cronin’s crew, but UCLA will clearly need forward Cody Riley (knee) to get healthy if they have any hopes of making a deep run into March like last season. The tumble in the polls is not as severe in the power rankings of the oddsmakers as the Bruins hold steady as the fifth overall betting choice at +1200.
6. Villanova Wildcats (4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS)
Opening Odds: +2500 / Current Odds: +1400
Jay Wright scheduled arguably the hardest out of conference schedule of any team in the nation and that could pay dividends in March. Villanova’s quest for a third championship in six years will run through the veteran leadership of fifth-year senior Collin Gillespie (15.5 ppg). The star point guard, a pre-season Cousy award contender, has shown no signs of rust following last season’s knee injury. The Wildcats blew double-digit second-half leads against both UCLA and Purdue. Both of those defeats demonstrated that Villanova will need to develop a deeper bench as the season progresses if they have any hopes of adding more hardware to the trophy case on the Main Line.
7. Texas (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS)
Opening Odds: +4000 / Current Odds: +1400
The return of Andrew Jones (9.6 ppg) and Courtney Ramey (9.6 ppg) to Austin this season has enabled new head coach Chris Beard to guide the Longhorns to five wins in its first six games. Texas' lone defeat came in its only real test of the early season falling 86-74 to Gonzaga. The Longhorns will face another test next week when they take on Big East power No. 25 Seton Hall.
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8. Kansas Jayhawks (5-1 SU, 2-3-1 ATS)
Opening Odds: +2500 / Current Odds: +1200
The addition of Arizona State transfer Remy Martin (12.2 ppg, 5.4 ast) has given Bill Self the floor general he desired in 2021. The Jayhawks have received outstanding production from Senior guard Ochai Ogbaji (23.6 ppg) who has benefited immensely from Martin’s presence in the backcourt. A matchup with St. Johns poses as the biggest test in the month of December for Kansas ahead of Big 12 Conference play.
9. Kentucky (6-1 SU, 3-4 ATS)
Opening Odds: +2000 / Current Odds: +1600
The Wildcats have won six of its first seven games, but their lone defeat to Duke was its only true test of the season thus far. Kentucky is finding a balanced scoring offense with four players averaging double digits, led by star freshman guard TyTy Washington (14.9 ppg). A matchup with Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on Dec. 18th looms as a tough match-up for the Wildcats ahead of SEC Conference action.
10. Arkansas (6-0 SU, 3-3 ATS)
Opening Odds: +3500 / Current Odds: +3300
Say hello to the newest member of the top 10 family! The most recent move up the rankings is a result of being one of only 20 remaining undefeated teams in Division I basketball. Senior guard JD Notae (19.5 ppg) and Au'Diese Toney (13.0 ppg, 7.3 rbg) form one of the best backcourts in the SEC. The move up the polls has failed to result in any changes from the oddsmakers power rankings, as the Razorbacks remain longshots at +3300.
Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.
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