As one of the biggest sports betting events in the world, this year’s March Madness is guaranteed to deliver a ton of excitement. Each and every season, March Madness provides college basketball fans with tons of great games, some thrilling upsets and a few captivating Cinderella stories. There’s been several legendary March Madness moments over the years and that colorful history is part of what makes the tournament so fun. You can also take the excitement up a notch by betting on your favorite NCAA basketball teams at Bovada Sportsbook. As a leader in online sports betting, Bovada has tons of NCAAB betting odds available throughout the entire college basketball season and March Madness tournament.
View all of the latest March Madness odds at Bovada!
As the 2021-22 college basketball season continues to roll along, this year’s NCAA Division I Tournament is now only a few short weeks away. This annual event is comprised of the top 68 college basketball teams in the nation, as determined by the 10-member NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Committee. While there’s no specific formula, the selection committee looks at a variety of stats and results in order to determine their picks. Selection Sunday for 2022 March Madness is scheduled for March 13 and the tournament will be played out over the following few weeks at several different venues across the country. Here’s the complete schedule for this year’s NCAA Tournament, including all of the key dates, location and details.
Top 5 March Madness Betting Favorites
This has already been a pretty wild college basketball season as we’ve witnessed a number of stunning upsets over the first half of the schedule. We’ve also seen a No. 1 seed that looks more like a carousel ride, with several teams having a turn in the top spot this season including Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue, Baylor and Auburn. With so much movement in the AP Top 25, it can be difficult to tell the contenders apart from the pretenders. Before you start filling out your March Madness bracket or placing any bets on this year’s tournament, let’s review a few of the top-ranked teams in college basketball according to their current betting odds at Bovada Sportsbook.
(All odds as of March 3, 2022*)
Gonzaga Bulldogs +350
Currently the No. 1 ranked team in the country, Gonzaga takes the top spot on this list with +350 betting odds to win this year’s national championship. Gonzaga started the year as the No. 1 team in the nation but ended up dropping a few spots after losses to Duke and Alabama. In case you forgot, this is the same team that made it all the way to the national championship game in last year’s tournament. While they may have lost point guard Jalen Suggs and forward Corey Kispert to the NBA, Gonzaga still has a deep roster that features several talented players including Junior Drew Timme at forward. Timme was a big part of the team’s success in last year’s March Madness tournament and is the leading scorer on this year’s team at 17.6 points per game. The Bulldogs are also getting major contributions from freshmen center Chet Holmgren. The lanky seven-footer has been impressive this season, putting up 14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and a stifling 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 61.6% from the floor and 43.8% from beyond the arc. Gonzaga was the favorite to win last year’s tournament but perhaps 2022 is the year they were meant to win the basketball program’s first-ever national championship.
Arizona Wildcats +700
With the No. 2 rank, the Arizona Wildcats are currently projecting to be a No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. Arizona began the season outside of the AP Poll’s top 25 but has climbed the ranks after a number of impressive wins. The Wildcats pulled off a major upset by beating Michigan early in the season and more recently they’ve proven themselves against strong competition with wins over UCLA and USC. With 6’11 Azuolas Tubelis at forward and 7’1 Christian Koloko at center, the Wildcats are a strong, physical team that get much of their work done at or around the basket. They also have a balanced scoring ticket with four different players all averaging double-digit points per game. Led by first-year head coach and former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, Arizona is currently leading the Pac-12 Conference. While they just suffered an embarrassing loss to Colorado, they’ll have the chance to rebound against USC and build momentum leading up to the madness. While there’s no guarantee of a No. 1 seed, things do look promising for Arizona and their current betting odds at Bovada make them a very appealing option.
Kentucky Wildcats +700
Another type of Wildcat, Kentucky is considered to be one of college basketball’s blue bloods and has once again put together an elite team on the hardwood. Kentucky is currently No. 7 in the AP Poll’s top 25 but the program’s impressive history, and the presence of legendary college basketball head coach John Calipari, provides a boost to their betting odds at most sportsbooks. The Wildcats were the No. 10 ranked team heading into this year’s season and, despite an opening night loss to Duke, the team has played well throughout most of the year. Kentucky is enjoying an incredible campaign from forward Oscar Tshiebew; he has been dominant on the floor and leads the nation in rebounding at 15.3 rebounds per game while also contributing 16.9 points per game on the offensive end. If Kentucky wants a chance at winning this year’s March Madness, they’ll need TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler to be playing at peak performance. With both guards playing well and Tshiebew controlling the play down low, Kentucky may just have what it takes to win the eighth national championship in the program’s storied history.
Purdue Boilermakers +900
As the No. 8 ranked team in the nation, Purdue has looked like a legit championship contender for much of the year. The Boilermakers began the season on a tear, winning their first eight games and climbing all the way to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 before a disappointing loss to Rutgers dropped them back down. Purdue has been one of the best teams in the NCAA throughout the season and could be a great bet leading up to March Madness. They’re excellent on the offensive end thanks in part to the talented Jaden Ivey leading the way with over 17 points per game. Purdue currently leads all of college basketball in offensive efficiency this season, just ahead of top-ranked Gonzaga. While the Boilermakers recently lost to Michigan State, all will be forgotten if they can get the win against conference rival Wisconsin in their upcoming matchup. With their championship betting odds currently offering a very generous 9 to 1 return on investment, you may want to consider getting your bets in on Purdue now before you lose your chance.
Duke Blue Devils +1200
As one of the best programs in college basketball over the past 30 years, Duke’s place on this list of championship contenders should come as no surprise. Currently the No. 4 ranked team in the country, you can bet that the Blue Devils have their sights set on one of the four No. 1 seeds up for grabs in this year’s tournament. A perennial favorite, Duke began the year as the ninth-ranked team in the nation and answered any critics with a huge opening night win over Kentucky. The Blue Devils quickly improved to 7-0 and became the No. 1 team in the country following another big win over Gonzaga. While a loss to Ohio State the very next week cost Duke their top seed, the Blue Devils are still first in the ACC and continue to look like legit contenders to win the NCAA’s 2022 National Championship. It’s worth noting that this will be the final season for heady coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has more than earned his spot in college basketball’s hall of fame. Coach K is a legend at Duke and you can be sure his players will leave it all out there on the floor as they attempt to win one more national title for their beloved mentor.
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