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March Madness Odds: 3 NCAAB Storylines We Hope to See
- The college basketball national title odds have Auburn as the team to beat.
- Top freshmen against defending champions would be a March Madness delight.
- Check out all the NCAA basketball odds at BetUS sportsbook.
The holiday season is over and hopefully adding to your collection of coal was not part of the festivities.
When the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025, that can mean only one thing — conference play is set to heat up in the world of men’s college basketball. No more 34-point college basketball betting lines with ranked teams feasting on overmatched opponents.
When looking at the college basketball news, the tempers might flare between rival coaches but likely it will pale in comparison to the back and forth war of words between South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and Illinois coach Bret Bielema.
When looking at the college basketball future odds, Auburn at +600 has the shortest odds of winning the national title followed by Duke at +750 and Tennessee at +1000.
3 Enticing March Madness Matchups
1. Cooper Flagg to Face Defending Champions
UConn head coach Dan Hurley has been on a recruiting tear recently with current NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Stephon Castle and star freshman Liam McNeeley among the top recruits signing with UConn.
The Huskies were there right to the bitter end in the recruitment of Duke’s Cooper Flagg, who is favored to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and is +250 in NCAAB futures odds to win the 2024-25 Wooden Award.
Coop clips for your Monday feed. He’s 17 years old. @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/saCiQncHYW
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 16, 2024
When Jim Calhoun and Mike Krzyzewski were coaching UConn and Duke, there were some memorable March Madness matchups. It would make for some interesting emotions for Hurley’s brother, Bobby, a star point guard on a couple of Duke national championship teams.
Seeing the Huskies matching up with the one player that got away could be fun.
Bet Cooper Flagg (+250) to Win the Wooden Award
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2. Dickinson to Face Michigan Would Be Must-See TV
The poster child of the NIL era in men’s college basketball could be the current Kansas star Hunter Dickinson.
After three impressive seasons at Michigan, the cash register was overflowing when Kansas paid a hefty price to land the 7-foot-1 Dickinson. Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Michigan could be ranked ahead of Kansas at some point this season. With the Wolverines dropping out of the top 25, that seems unlikely.
2H: 6:47 left in the game.
KU 44 – 50 WVU pic.twitter.com/CwsWCbtTKg
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) December 31, 2024
More of Dickinson’s former Michigan teammates suit up for Kansas State than play for the Wolverines these days, but the Michigan fans, with some pent-up frustration after a trying football season, would likely not welcome back Dickinson in a loving manner.
Bet Kansas (+1800) to Win the national title
3. A Match Made In Trash-Talking Heaven
Right now Alabama is ranked ninth in the NCAA NET rankings, one of the tools used to select the field of 68. SMU is 30th in the NET rankings.
There haven’t been any recent meetings between the teams and, quite frankly, nobody has been clamoring for a basketball showdown between the Mustangs and the Crimson Tide.
However, times are changing.
Alabama was looking good to make yet another trip to the College Football Playoff and would have generated plenty of interest from those who bet online. It would have happened if SMU won the ACC title. Instead, Clemson came away with the win and SMU jumped over Alabama to land one of the 12 spots in the CFP field.
Irate Alabama fans were willing to overlook a horrible loss to unranked Oklahoma and another head-scratching defeat to Vanderbilt after SMU got blown out by Penn State in the first round of the CFP. They still believe they belonged in the field.
If the teams were to meet in the NCAA basketball tournament, let the insults between the fans on social media commence.
Bet Alabama (+1600) to Win the national title
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Questions Of The Day
Which team sits atop the NCAA NET rankings?
Auburn, despite playing just one true road game, is at No. 1 in the NCAA NET rankings thanks to a 6-1 record in Quad 1 games.
What are the odds for a team to win both the men's and women's NCAA Division I national titles?
There are +3300 odds for a team to win both the men’s and women’s Division I championships. Only UConn has accomplished that feat in the past.
