2021 March Madness Odds Movement: Gonzaga Heavy Favorite entering Final Four

The most important event in sports betting after the Super Bowl is without a doubt March Madness. With the tournament canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 tournament brings a ton of anticipation, excitement, and of course a ton of betting markets to capitalize on. Now, we have reached the Final Four after a plethora of upsets, underdogs, and last-second shots. It will be a great finish to an already entertaining tournament.

As the 2021 college basketball season progressed into April, the odds to win the NCAA Tournament have (and will continue to) change with each game. We take a look at the latest odds to win March Madness, odds movement since the opening odds were released, and the latest news and happenings around college basketball that could help you gain an edge in the NCAA Tournament futures market.

 

 

March Madness Champ Odds Movement

Here is a look at the latest odds at various legal sportsbooks to win the 2021 NCAA Tournament. As you can tell, the prices vary at different books which makes this an extremely important market to corner given the ability to take advantage of the price differences. If you wish to wager on Gonzaga to win, be sure to get the best price to ensure the highest payout as it will help you become a better bettor long term. With the bracket officially released, the odds have moved significantly.

 

March Madness Odds Movement Timeline

Odds move all the time, here’s a look at the timeline since the beginning of the CBB season in terms of odds to win the tournament.

• April 3: Gonzaga opens as 5-point favorites over Baylor in the National Championship.
• April 2: Gonzaga’s odds fall a bit after public money comes in to -200, Baylor to +275, and Houston to +750. UCLA is set at +3000 to win.
• March 31: Gonzaga rises to -250, UCLA is the long shot at +1600 with Houston and Baylor being in the middle at +500 and +250.
• March 30: With six teams left, Gonzaga set at +135 with Baylor at +200
• March 28: Gonzaga and Baylor rise after Sweet 16 wins
• March 26: With one day before the Sweet 16 – Gonzaga +150, Baylor +350, Michigan +750, and Houston +900 are top four.
• March 25: Alabama shifts all the way to +1100, up from +1000 and +1700.
• March 23: Loyola Chicago odds rose to +900, but dropped to +1300 after initial betting.
• March 22: Sweet 16 decided, Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Loyola and Houston odds rise.
• March 20: Gonzaga odds rise after first round win.
• March 18: As the tournament begins, Illinois moves to +550 behind only Gonzaga.
• March 12: Illinois defeated Michigan, Wolverines odds fall as Illinois moves to +900.
• February 27: Baylor loses first game, odds fall as Gonzaga is sole leader.
• February 25: Michigans odds climb to +500, behind Gonzaga and Baylor.
• February 18: Gonzaga and Baylor are neck-and-neck at +275 and +285.
• February 11:  Baylor is 17-0, odds moved to +300, just behind Gonzaga at +275.
• February 4: Second tier teams see odds movement, as Illinois, Alabama, and Texas’ odds fall.
• January 26: Villanova slides in at four, creating a top tier of Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, and Villanova.
• January 19: Gonzaga, Baylor, and Michigan are the top three, Gonzaga the favorite at +300.
• January 12: Michigan moves into the top five at +1100 to win.
• January 5: Gonzaga’s odds rise to +333, but Baylor’s odds rise to +750 in second place.
• December 25: Iowa and Villanova’s odds rose, but Gonzaga remains the favorite.
• December 15: Gonzaga’s odds rise to +400, even with no games for a few weeks.
• December 3: Gonzaga makes its debut as the favorite at +600.
• November 25: As the season begins, Villanova is the favorite at +700 to win the NCAA Tournament.

Check out UCLA vs. Gonzaga Final Four odds and picks, here.

 

Gonzaga Favored over Baylor in National Championship

After one of the greatest games ever played in college basketball, Gonzaga is headed to the National Title game against Baylor. The Bulldogs are favored, but it is set to be a terrific game.

 

March Madness Odds entering Final Four

Let’s take a look a the latest March Madness odds, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

School	Odds to Win NCAA Tournament
Gonzaga	-200
Baylor	+275
Houston	+750
UCLA	+3000

Since the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket is set, the odds have moved in a big way. Before the 2020-2021 season, the opening odds favored Villanova to win the whole thing at +900. Then, Nova is +4000 to win as a five seed. After the first two rounds, they moved up to +3000 to win the Tournament. Gonzaga and Baylor have remained as the favorites throughout the majority of 2021, and entering the Sweet 16 they are one and two at +155 and +350.

The top seeds are all ranked at the top of the table, but one team to keep an eye on is Alabama at +2000. They opened at +7500 before the season, and have become one of the better teams in the country. They entered the Sweet 16 at +2000 odds, but moved all the way to +1100 as the week went on leading up to the Sweet 16 tip-off.

With six teams remaining halfway through the Elite 8, Gonzaga and Baylor were at the top. Houston moved to +450 after clinching their Final Four spot. With the Final Four being set, Gonzaga was the overwhelming opening favorite at -250, but then moved to -200 after initial wagering.

Keep an eye on the odds throughout the rest of the NCAA Tournament, as each round will change the odds significantly.

 

2021 NCAA Tournament Public Betting Consensus and Odds Movement

For this year’s tournament, the legal sportsbooks are bringing out all the stops. Catch up on the latest at ActionRush:

• Public Betting for the Tournament
• Odds Movement for First Round Spreads
• Betting Public sticks with favorites at William Hill
• National Championship Odds and Picks

Check out the 7 Best Promotions for March Madness here. In addition, DraftKings is offering a bet $1 to win $100 for the Final Four and FanDuel is offering a bet $5 to win $200 promotion.

 

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NCAA Tournament Odds Movement News

Leading up to the 2021 NCAA Tournament, we will track odds movement and news that could affect the betting market of who will win March Madness. Stay tuned for updates, moves in the CBB betting market, and more.

 

Bulldogs -250 Favorites as Final Four Opens

After UCLA upset Michigan, the Final Four was set and Gonzaga’s odds skyrocketed to -250 to win the whole thing. This is not surprising, as they are 30-0 and have blown out everyone in their path in the tournament.

 

Gonzaga and Baylor Lead the Way in Elite 8

In what seems to be a recurring theme, the two best teams all year seem destined to meet in the Final Four. Baylor and Gonzaga remained at the top of the list to be NCAA Tournament champions, and they are likely to meet in the title game. After the Elite 8, will the Final Four be three number one seeds? Time will tell.

 

Entering Sweet 16, Gonzaga and Baylor are Favorites

After the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, we have seen a massive number of upsets. The Sweet 16 holds more lower seeds than we have seen in a long time. With that said, the betting favorites to win the title are still Gonzaga and Baylor. Gonzaga is +155 to win the title entering the Sweet 16, and Baylor is +350, right behind them.

Both teams have an “easy” path, but is there such a thing in this year’s tournament? Gonzaga will face Creighton in the Sweet 16, and should they win they will take on the winner of USC and Oregon. All three teams are a 5 seed or lower. Baylor has a tougher bracket, as they face off against #5 Villanova on Saturday, then if they win will face the winner of Arkansas and Oral Roberts.

 

Bulldogs Favored after Selection Sunday

The bracket was released for the tournament, Gonzaga’s odds rose to +205, and they are the betting favorite to win March Madness.

Many NCAA bracket pundits really like Gonzaga’s chances to make it to the Final Four in their bracket, and that is certainly part of why Gonzaga is +205 to win the whole thing on DraftKings Sportsbook. The second-best odds to win is at +500, as the Baylor Bears get the number two overall seed but in a tougher bracket. Gonzaga certainly has a chance to win the whole thing, as +205 with a 68-team field are quite the odds. Will this be the year for the Zags? Time will tell.

 

ACC Tournament COVID-19 Issues Shake Up Odds

With the COVID-19 positive cases at the ACC tournament, the odds have been shaken up for the NCAA Tournament. First, Duke was removed after a positive test and now Virginia has been removed from the tournament as well. It looks like Georgia Tech will face the winner of Florida State or North Carolina in the title game. Stay tuned as the NCAA Tournament odds will continue to move.

 

Illinois Odds Soar to +900

One of the NCAA teams to watch this season was Illinois, and that has proven right so far as the Fighting Ilini has crushed their way through the Big Ten and are ranked in the top 5 entering the Big Ten tournament. So far in the month of March, Illinois has defeated #4 Michigan, #9 Ohio State, and they are coming off wins against Wisconsin and Nebraska in late February.

 

Alabama Basketball Odds Continue to Rise

Entering the season, Alabama was +7500 to win the NCAA Tournament, and as the SEC Tournament nears…their odds have risen all the way to +1300 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Only three teams have better odds to win than the Crimson Tide: Gonzaga, Baylor, and Michigan. Head coach Nate Oats has gotten some terrific praise, and deservedly so as Alabama has become a national powerhouse (at least for this season) in basketball, to go along with football. If Alabama can win the SEC tournament, they look to be a lock for a top two seed, maybe even a one seed in the tournament.

 

Gonzaga and Baylor Tied after Bears Loss

Baylor finally lost their first game of the season, which affected the Top 25 for college basketball. But, it did not greatly affect the March Madness odds as Baylor and Gonzaga are still tied at +275 on DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 2nd, two weeks before the tournament. While Baylor’s loss certainly hurt their ranking, the oddsmakers still believe they are one of the top two teams in terms of chances to win the National Championship.

 

PointsBet Releases Latest Odds, Gonzaga and Baylor Lead

At PointsBet, you can wager on Gonzaga and Baylor to win the NCAA Tournament at +300 odds, which pays $400 per the above chart. Coming in behind the top two is Michigan at +700, then the rest of the teams in the top top all have odds of +1100 or higher. After Ohio State’s loss to #3 Michigan, they fell to +1200 to win the CBB title, but are still contenders.

 

Baylor Passes Gonzaga in February as NCAA Title Favorite

For the first time in the 2020-2021 college basketball season, Baylor has become the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. While the odds are extremely close given both teams are undefeated, at some legal sportsbooks Baylor has overtaken Gonzaga as the betting favorite as of Valentine’s Day. At DraftKings Sportsbook, Baylor’s price is +290 and Gonzaga is set at +310. Both are far above Michigan (+650), and the rest of the field of 11:1 or higher.

In the latest polls, Gonzaga is still #1. They received 59 of 64 total first place votes in the AP Top 25, 28 of 32 votes in the Coaches Poll and also rank as #1 in RPI. With all that said, some sportsbooks have still placed Baylor’s odds higher than Gonzaga. Could this mean that the public is wagering more money on Baylor? Time will tell, but as February comes to a close expect to see the odds flip between these two programs until (if) one team loses.

 

 

Michigan Wolverines Hot Streak Continues – Odds Rise to +650

At 15-1 after winning four in a row, the Michigan Wolverines’ odds to win the National Tournament have increased to +650. Their only loss was to Minnesota on January 16th, but have won back to back games after a long COVID-19 related layoff. Here’s a look at the Wolverine’s upcoming games:

• at Ohio State
• at Indiana
• vs. Iowa
• at Michigan State

After those four games, the Big Ten tournament begins where Michigan will be the favorite.

 

2021 NCAA Championship Odds

Here’s the latest odds to win the NCAA Tournament, with the best prices from various legal sportsbooks.

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