If you’re like most people, you probably saw a Final Four pick or two go down during the NCAA tournament’s first weekend. But fortunately, there’s still plenty of action available in the Sweet 16.
With odds ranging from the favorite, Gonzaga, at +230 all the way to Saint Peter’s at +20000, there are lots of directions you can go in if your bracket is busted.
Here, we’ll take a look at the odds of the Sweet 16 teams and analyze which teams are the best bets to win the NCAA Championship.
Odds To Win The Men’s College Basketball National Championship
Gonzaga +230
Kansas +450
Arizona +500
Purdue +900
Houston +1000
Texas Tech +1200
Duke +1400
UCLA +1400
Villanova +1400
North Carolina +2500
Arkansas +4000
Michigan +5000
Providence +5000
Miami +6600
Iowa State +10000
Saint Peter’s +20000
I have a best bet, a longshot worth taking a chance on, and a value play out of these 16 teams. Here are my top futures plays to win the 2022 March Madness NCAA tournament.
Best Bet: Purdue Boilermakers, +1000 (available at Caesars Sportsbook)
The Boilermakers have a dream road to the Final Four. Purdue has the guard play that Kentucky lacked to deal with Saint Peter’s in the Round of 16, and the interior game in Jaden Ivey and the combination of Zach Edey and Trevion Williams in the low post to handle the winner of North Carolina and UCLA in the Elite 8. Purdue can score with the best of them, averaging almost 80 points per game, and demonstrated that against one of their potential opponents, UNC, back in November. On a neutral floor, the Boilermakers won, 93-84.
Purdue will go as far as their shooters can take them, and that’s good enough for me to make them my best bet to win it all at +1000.
Longshot Pick: Arkansas Razorbacks, +5000 (available at PointsBet)
The Razorbacks are at this price mostly because they play top-seeded Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. But Arkansas is just the type of team that can give the Bulldogs problems: a fast-paced team with good shooters that plays stern defense. Gonzaga lost to Alabama early in the season when the Crimson Tide were hitting their shots, and the Razorbacks play a similar style with better defensive play.
If Arkansas gets by Gonzaga, and that’s a big if, their odds will shrink massively. Now is the time to grab a future on the Razorbacks as a live longshot to win the championship.
Best Value Pick: Texas Tech Red Raiders, +1600 (available at BetMGM)
The Red Raiders are the anti-Purdue in that they’re a defense-heavy squad that scores just enough to win games. Texas Tech locks down anyone and everyone, with the notable exception of Kansas — a team that beat them in two of three contests this season. Notre Dame found that out the hard way, as the Fighting Irish scored fewer two-point shots (eight) than 3-pointers (nine) in a 59-53 loss to Texas Tech in the second round.
The Red Raiders don’t have an easy path to the Final Four, as they might have to go through both Duke and Gonzaga to get there. However, Texas Tech has the system in place to cut down the nets in New Orleans. It took a bit of shopping around, as the Red Raiders are sitting at +1200 on most books, but if you like them, make the wager on BetMGM at +1600 odds.
