The college basketball season is nearing its end as after this weekend, only four teams will remain alive for a national championship. As of Friday morning, Alabama is the favorite to cut down the nets at +300 odds. UConn and Houston are close behind, each at +390 odds to win the title. Gonzaga, fresh off their miracle shot to advance to the Elite Eight, are at +650 and everyone else is at +900 or longer odds. Use a 10 euro no deposit bonus to take advantage of these odds while there’s time.
Alabama will have no easy task facing a top 10 San Diego State defense on Friday night, but the Crimson Tide are rightfully the most likely team to win the championship. Out of the top ten teams on KenPom, only five remain alive as of Friday. All five are also within the top six and all except Alabama are on the same side of the bracket, meaning only one can even advance to the title game. The Tide have a much clearer path to just getting to the title game as 12th ranked Creighton is the best team remaining on their side of the bracket. It is very possible, if not likely, that Houston, UConn or Gonzaga are capable of beating Alabama, but they all must go through one another to even get that shot. Alabama is also a great bet to win it all because, well, they’re very good. They have a top 3 defense in the country, they have an All-American and top five NBA Draft pick, they can get hot and hit 10 or more 3’s in any given game and they’ve won each of their first two tournament games by 20+ points.
If looking for a longer shot to win it all for a bigger return on investment, Kansas State is glaring as a great pick after Thursday night. The Wildcats have the look of a team of destiny and that is led by third team All-American guard Markquis Nowell. Nowell became a household name Thursday by breaking the record for assists in an NCAA Tournament game and carrying Kansas State to an overtime win all while playing on a bad ankle. Every year, analysts try to predict who will be the next Kemba Walker as someone who can carry an unlikely team all the way to a national title. Nowell is easily the best candidate for that this season.
If looking to pick the team who is simply playing better than anyone else though, the UConn Huskies appear to be the top choice. UConn has faced three very good coaches and have won all three games by at least 15 points. The Huskies only have one loss since February 11th, a 2-point loss to eventual Big East Tournament champion Marquette. UConn has been in the top 6 on KenPom since December and seem to be playing their best basketball at the exact right time. Their path to the title game is much tougher than Alabama’s, but it may not matter who is in front of this version of the Huskies.
