2022 March Madness Odds & Predictions
Ladies and gentlemen, we are in March. And with the onset of March Madness approaching, Sportsbooks are expecting another record-breaking handle for the 2022 tournament.
Sports betting is legal in more states than ever, and with that, more bets than ever are available for the general public to wager on. With that said, the most popular future to take remains the pick to win the national championship.
While March Madness is one of the most unpredictable sporting events to predict, oddsmakers have a clear list of favorites to cut down the nets at the tournament’s conclusion. This article will lay out the favorites to win the NCAA tournament, along with my predictions on how certain teams will perform.
Here are the 10 teams with the best odds to be the last team standing in March Madness:
- Gonzaga (+350)
- Arizona (+600)
- Kansas (+700)
- Kentucky (+800)
- Duke (+1100)
- Baylor (+1200)
- Auburn (+1400)
- Purdue (+1500)
- Texas Tech (+1600)
- UCLA (+2000)
March Madness Sleeper Team: Purdue Boilermakers (+1500)
A fun sleeper team in the NCAA tournament is third-seeded Purdue. A team that commonly found themselves ranked within the top three of the AP top 25, The Boilermakers have competed in a tough Big 10 schedule all year and have NBA talent that can take them far in the tournament.
Jaden Ivey has solidified himself as a top-five pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA draft and has averaged 17 points per game as an electrifying scorer for the team. Along with Ivey, another playmaker for Purdue comes at the center position, as seven-footer Zach Edey has proven to be a defensive presence against whoever Purdue finds themselves matched up with.
At +1500, this team may deserve a bet to win the tournament just based on the value that they are at. As a three-seed, you cannot find many better teams than the Purdue boilermakers.
Early Exit: Baylor Bears (+1200)
One team I could see getting bounced out earlier than expected is the one-seed Baylor Bears. Although they are near the top of the odds to win the tournament at +1200, The Bears lack some of their most essential stars from their championship run a year ago.
Guards MaCio Teague, Jared Butler, and Davion Mitchell took on the majority of the scoring output throughout the entire 2020-21 season and tournament, and guard play has proven to be one of the most important factors when deciding the NCAA champion. This year’s Baylor does have a deep team but lacks any real stars. They do not have a single player on the team averaging over 14 points per game, and when going to get some of the best defenses college basketball has to offer, the team will need to rely on certain players taking over.
Overall, I can see this team being an upset alert early as 8 seed North Carolina and 5 seed Houston has the ability to be anyone on any given night if they’re hot.
Champion Prediction: Arizona Wildcats (+600)
The Pac 12 champions and the second overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the Arizona Wildcats, are my pick to be the final team standing. At 31-3, Arizona has one of the best records in all of college basketball and have routinely beat up on top-flight teams such as UCLA and USC in their own conference.
Benedict Mathurin has blossomed into a star in his sophomore season, averaging over 17 points per game, and is the face of this Wildcats team. Outside of him, Arizona relies heavily on their defensive ability, led by center Christian Koloko, who is averaging an outstanding 2.7 blocks per game.
I believe this is the most complete team in the tournament. And while nothing is certain during this tournament, they are my best bet to win the whole thing.
