March Madness is closing fast with less than three weeks remaining in the college basketball regular season.
The Tennessee men (21-5) have ranked among the nation’s top teams all season, and below we take a closer look at the Volunteers and the other top national title contenders. All national championship odds cited are the best-value moneylines at the leading online sportsbooks as of Wednesday, Feb. 19, and are subject to change.
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College basketball national championship odds: Tennessee (+2000 at Caesars Sportsbook)
All five losses for coach Rick Barnes’ sixth-ranked Vols have come in the juggernaut SEC which accounts for nine of the top-25 teams in the current Associated Press poll. And that, by the way, includes five of the top seven.
Looking ahead to March, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi projects Tennessee to garner a No. 2 seed in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.
That would give the defensive-dominant Vols (No. 1 in guru Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency metrics) a strong chance of reaching their first Final Four in 27 Big Dance appearances. Speaking of which, UT’s best-value Final Four odds of +400 can be found at DraftKings.
College basketball national championship odds: Auburn (+375 at Caesars)
Coach Bruce Pearl’s top-ranked Tigers (23-2) are coming off a 94-85 win over No. 2 Alabama last weekend — one of a nation-best 14 Quadrant 1 victories for the program so far this season.
Auburn also ranks atop Pomeroy’s national efficiency board with a plus-36.67 net rating.
Pearl guided the Tigers to their first-ever Final Four appearance in 2019, and sights are set even higher this season for big man Johni Broome and Co.
College basketball national championship odds: Duke (+450 at FanDuel)
Blueblood Duke, of course, has appeared in 17 Final Fours and won five championships, but it’s been a full 10 years since the Blue Devils’ most recent title.
Wooden Award-favorite Cooper Flagg and the current No. 3-ranked Duke crew just might change that as the Devils are 23-3 and sit only behind Auburn in the NCAA NET and KenPom ranks.
And they did hand the Tigers one of their two losses this season, prevailing 84-78 at home Dec. 4 in the SEC/ACC Challenge.
College basketball national championship odds: Houston (+900 at bet365)
Currently atop the expanded Big 12 at 14-1, No. 5 Houston (22-4) continues to rank as a national powerhouse.
The Cougars have reached the Sweet 16 in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments under veteran coach Kelvin Sampson, but they only have one Final Four appearance during that span.
Will this year’s talented Houston squad (No. 3 NET and KenPom) be the one that breaks through for the program’s first national title?
College basketball national championship odds: Alabama (+1100 at BetMGM)
No. 4 Alabama (21-4) is back among the nation’s elite after playing in the program’s first Final Four last April.
Guard Mark Sears and the Crimson Tide are an offensive machine, leading the nation in scoring (90.3 points per game) as of Wednesday.
But will that be enough to overcome KenPom’s 39th-ranked defense and carry coach Nate Oats’ crew to six Big Dance victories?
College basketball national championship odds: Florida (+2000 at DraftKings)
Almost under the radar in the powerhouse SEC is No. 2 Florida (23-3), which has won eight of its last nine.
That includes a highly impressive 90-81 victory at Auburn on Feb. 8.
Coach Todd Golden’s Gators have displayed few weaknesses — ranking among the nation’s top 11 in offensive and defensive efficiency and rebound margin — and are a decent dark horse pick at 20-1.
