It seems like it was not very long ago at all that we watched the Louisville Cardinals beat Michigan in the NCAA National Championship game in Atlanta back in April. It was Louisville’s third National Title in NCAA Basketball.
The Kentucky Wildcats, on the other hand, did not even make it to the “Big Dance” for the first time in a long time. Never the less, Kentucky is the odds on favorite to win the big NCAA Championship game this year… after surviving the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight and the rarefied atmosphere of the Final Four.
The Wildcats are listed at 4-to-1 while the Cardinals are at 10-to-1. Last year’s other Final Four teams, Syracuse (16/1), Michigan (28/1), and Wichita State (100/1), come in at Nos. 8, 14 and 52, respectively in preseason polls.
Despite missing last year’s NCAA Tourney, Kentucky has already pulled in some of the nation’s top recruits and is still in the mix for top-drawer freshmen like Andrew Wiggins.
So, college basketball is all set to tip-off this month and both fans and bookies alike are anticipating a season of blistering action on the court with competition for the Final Four starting in week one.
Odds have lengthened since last May for Michigan State…from 10-1 to 12-1, Duke… from 10-1 to 12-1, Syracuse… from 25-1 to 30-1, Oklahoma State… from 35-1 to 40-1. Bigger falls yet go to Oregon who went from 40-1 to 100-1 and Memphis which went from 40-1 to 75-1.
Some teams that saw their odds shortened over the summer include Michigan… from 30-1 to 25-1, Wisconsin… from 60-1 to 50-1, Gonzaga… from 100-1 to 75-1, Marquette… from 100-1 to 60-1 and Tennessee… from 100-1 to 75-1.
Here’s a preseason look at the top 25 teams and their chances, in the eyes of the Nevada Handicappers, to reach the 2014 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, which will be held on April 7, in Arlington, Texas.
1. KENTUCKY 4-1
2. MICHIGAN STATE 10-1
3. LOUISVILLE 12-1
4. DUKE 10-1
5. ARIZONA 12-1
6. KANSAS 10-1
7. MICHIGAN 30-1
8. SYRACUSE 25-1
9. NORTH CAROLINA15-1
10. OKLAHOMA STATE 35-1
11. OHIO STATE 15-1
12. FLORIDA 12-1
13. OREGON 40-1
14. WISCONSIN 60-1
15. UCLA 100-1
16. MEMPHIS 40-1
17. GONZAGA 100-1
18. VCU 40-1
19. TENNESSEE 100-1
20. MARQUETTE100-1
21. NOTRE DAME100-1
22. UCONN 60-1
23. IOWA 75-1
24. VIRGINIA 75-1
25. INDIANA 50-1
