It’s never too early to bet on college basketball. There’s been movement at the sportsbook over the last month.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Houston Cougars remain steady at their opening prices of +850 and +1000, respectively, but the big money has come for North Carolina, top chances to win the NCAA tournament.
There’s No Hesitation with Heels
It’s not easy when you lose in the championship game and return the next season to win it all. However, there is every reason to bet on the Tar Heels with confidence.
Opening at +1000 after a loss to Kansas in the title game this past April, the Heels have been confidently backed into joint favoritism at +850. We’re not surprised by the move, as bettors have smartened in regards to Gonzaga.
We can’t count how many times the Bulldogs have been tapped to win, then failed.. So the Tar Heels look better-placed in 2023.
Getting Armando Bacot and Caleb Love back is huge for this team, which explains the movement in the odds.
Losing GG Jackson, who decommitted from North Carolina, was not good, but hasn’t affected the odds.
“I will explore other options that can help me grow from a teenage boy to an adult, and to put me in the best position to reach my dream goal which is the NBA,” Jackson told TheState.com.
Carolina still has an excellent squad and they’re always tough to beat during the tournament.
Bullish on Bulldogs?
Gonzaga’s never won a college basketball championship.
You wouldn’t think so, given how often they’re favored with betting online markets, but those are the facts and they’re tough to dispute.
We are surprised to see them at +850, as coach Mark Few has had many chances with better teams in recent seasons, but they always find a way to not deliver..
Their conference record always makes them look better than they are. They’re still a quality team, but don’t play many tough games throughout the season, a demerit during March Madness.
We can’t get excited about the +850, and we would want at least +1200 to take a chance on the Bulldogs. Gonzaga signed Malachi Smith, giving it another shooter, but that production came against low-tier schools.
Oracles of Omaha?
One of the bigger market moves has been the Creighton Bluejays, opening around +4500 and firmed into +2000.
It’s a sizable move for a Big East team, which isn’t usually favored to win the title. They lost by seven points (79-72) to Kansas after beating the San Diego State Aztecs.
It was a tidy result for the Bluejays and bettors expect them to make a run in the tourney. That’s mostly because they made some good off-season signings, including Baylor Scheierman, who drop buckets from behind the arc.
Scheierman withdrew from the NBA Draft before signing with the Bluejays. They also have four returning starters, so the roster suggests they improve.
They’re an interesting team, and we could see the +2000 shorten if the Bluejays start hot in the conference. Some critics are even putting them as the pre-season top-ranked team. Watch out for Creighton.
