2024 March Madness NCAA Tournament Odds: UConn favoured to defend national championship
The NFL season if officially over and that has plenty of sports fans turning to the next big event on the North American sports calendar, the March Madness NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
With about a month to go before Selection Sunday, let’s take a look at how the college basketball season has unfolded and what we can expect in the 2024 NCAA tournament.
2024 NCAA Tournament Odds
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2024 NCAA Tournament Favourites
UConn is the favourite to win the 2024 NCAA tournament as they look to become the first school to win back-to-back national championships since the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007. Defending a national title has proven to be nearly impossible over the last 20 years, with no defending champion advancing beyond the Sweet 16 since Florida in 2007.
Despite losing five of their top eight players from last year’s team, the Huskies (22-2 overall, 12-1 in Big East) should go deep in this year’s tournament. Forward Alex Karaban, point guard Tristen Newton and centre Donovan Clingan were all key members of last year’s team and they’ve been standouts as the go-to players this season.
The revamped UConn roster has taken out the likes of North Carolina, Texas, Indiana and Gonzaga in non-league play and they’ve terrorized the Big East all season. This is a deep, talented, team that has a legit shot at defending the national title.
Purdue (22-2, 11-2) has absolutely choked in the NCAA tournament for three straight years, capped by last year’s humiliating loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson to become just the second No. 1 seed ever to suffer a first-round loss. Still, this is a team that has greatly improved the supporting cast around Canadian big man Zach Edey, who is a heavy favourite to be named the national college player of the year for a second consecutive time.
Braden Smith has proven to be a consistent scorer and playmaker, Lance Jones has been more than a capable player at both ends of the court and the team is shooting 40 per cent from three-point range. The Boilermakers have taken out serious threats like Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette and also beat Arizona and Alabama on the road.
And for anyone still scared by this team’s reputation for falling apart in the national tournament? Well, just remember there’s already precedent for that. Virginia lost to 16-seeded UMBC in the 2018 before winning on the national title in 2019. There’s no reason Purdue can’t do the same in 2024.
Other Contenders
Houston (21-3, 8-3) leads the Big 12, arguably college basketball’s toughest division and they are the top defensive team in the nation, allowing just 54.7 points per game. The big question for the Cougars is whether they can score enough to go deep in the tournament.
The Wildcats (19-5, 10-3) boast the nation’s second-highest scoring offence and they’ve torn through Pac-12 opponents all year.
The Tar Heels (19-5, 11-2) went from pre-season No. 1 to completely missing the tournament last year. That collapse is behind them this season as they’ve ridden an elite offence to the top of the ACC standings.
South Carolina is Surprising
The pre-season projections pointed to South Carolina finishing last in the SEC. Instead, they lead the conference with a 9-2 record and they sit 21-3 overall on the year. The Gamecocks now sit No. 11 in the AP Top 25 thanks to upset wins over powerhouses Kentucky and Tennessee. Head coach Lamont Paris has built a team-first, selfless culture that could make South Carolina a great dark horse NCAA tournament pick at +8000.
What Happened to USC?
On the other end of the spectrum, USC (9-15, 3-10) has been a train wreck this season after coming in at No. 21 in the pre-season rankings. The Trojans are dead last in the Pac-12 standings and they need to win their final seven games just to finish above .500 for the season.
Injuries have been a big issue. Bronny James missed the first eight games of the season recovering from a cardiac event and he didn’t make it to the starting five until mid-January. USC is also 0-3 in games that both Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier have missed and just 1-3 in games without one or the other.
Bubble Teams
Gonzaga
The Zags (18-6, 8-2) are in danger of missing the 2024 national tournament after reaching at least the Sweet 16 in each of the last three years. To make this year’s NCAA tournament, Gonzaga likely either needs to win out the rest of the regular season or win the WCC tournament.
Villanova
The Wildcats (13-11, 6-7) sit near the bottom of the Big East standings. They’ve had significant non-league wins over teams like North Carolina, Texas Tech, Memphis, Maryland and UCLA, but they’ve also lost to the likes of Penn and Drexel. With a Big East record below .500, Villanova needs to end the regular season on a serious run to make it into this year’s NCAA tournament.
Washington State
The Cougars (18-6, 9-4) are by no means an NCAA tournament staple. They only have six tournament appearances since 1941 and they haven’t reached the tournament since 2008. Washington State has a great shot at this year’s tournament, however. They’ve won eight of their last nine games, including five straight, and sit second in the Pac-12 standings.
