2024 NCAA Tournament odds: Gonzaga Bulldogs have 10th-best odds to win national championship

National championship expectations aren't anything new to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, as the program has garnered respect as a title contender year in and year out under head coach Mark Few.

That includes respect from the sportsbooks, too, as the Zags opened with the No. 1 preseason odds to win the national championship in 2021 and 2022. Heading into the 2023-24 college basketball season, expectations for Few's squad aren't as lofty, but many expect Gonzaga to contend for the title once again.

Bet MGM recently released its betting odds for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and they gave the Zags +3000 odds to cut down the nets in April, tied for the 10th-best odds in the country. Kansas (+1000) is the favorite heading into the season, followed by Duke (+1300), Kentucky (+1400) and Purdue (+1400). According to the sportsbook, Gonzaga has the same preseason odds as UCLA, North Carolina, Creighton, Miami (FL), Tennessee and Villanova.

Along with the Blue Devils, Wildcats and Boilermakers, other title contenders on the schedule include USC (+3500) on Dec. 2 and reigning national champions UConn (+2000) on Dec. 15 in Seattle. There's also potential for matchups against Marquette (+2000) and Tennessee at the 2023 Maui Invitational.

Here's a look at Gonzaga's title odds from other sportsbooks:

FanDuel: +3500

Caesars Sportsbook: +2500

PointsBet: +2500

DraftKings: +2200

It's clear expectations are slightly lower heading into this season than in years past, as the +3000 odds are Gonzaga's lowest entering a season since 2019. Many expected them to win it all with Drew Timme and a handful of top recruits and transfers over the previous two seasons, though their shortcomings are indicative of how accurate preseason odds and rankings are at forecasting the future.

The Tar Heels, who missed last season's NCAA Tournament after being the No. 1 preseason team in the AP Poll, were also tied with the Zags for the best preseason odds at +900 heading into the 2022-23 season. Neither team finished as the top-ranked team in the AP Top 25, as Alabama ended the season at No. 1. Of course, UConn won it all with +8000 preseason odds, similar to when the program hoisted the trophy in 2011 when they opened that season with +4000 odds.

Going into the 2021-22 season, the addition of Chet Holmgren as the nation's top-ranked recruit put Gonzaga at +600 odds to win the title, well above the next highest odds with Michigan and UCLA at +1200. The Zags were also the No. 1 in the preseason and final AP Top 25 polls, but Kansas ended up cutting down the nets anyway.

In fact, five of the last six national champions have had +1350 or worse preseason odds to win the title, with the exception being Baylor (+800) in 2021.

As always, odds will fluctuate as the season goes along.