College Basketball

College basketball odds: Duke's title lines surge after beating Gonzaga

Updated Dec. 1, 2021 7:51 p.m. ET

The unpredictability of college basketball is perhaps the biggest draw that makes the sport so thrilling. On any day of the week, top-ranked teams fall to lesser opponents or they go the distance with evenly-matched rivals. And it was the latter last week when No. 5 Duke defeated No. 1 Gonzaga.

This battle between two basketball powerhouses made way for Duke to gain momentum in the betting world as FOX Bet shortened the Blue Devils' championship odds after their upset victory.

Here are the updated top 10 national championship odds for the NCAA men's basketball season at FOX Bet.

Gonzaga +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Duke +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Purdue +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
UCLA +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Kansas +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Villanova +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Texas +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Michigan +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Kentucky +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Baylor +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

odds as of 1 p.m. ET, 12/1

Since the Zags lost to Duke in that 84-81 thriller, the Bulldogs have slipped in the rankings, but interestingly not in the championship odds. Now ranked No. 3 in the country, FOX Bet has shortened Gonzaga's odds to win the title even further from +600 to +400.

Junior Drew Timme, the clear-cut favorite to win the coveted John R. Wooden Award, has dominated. And freshmen phenom Chet Holmgren has fit in perfectly with the talented Zags core.

While Gonzaga beat Tarleton State 64-55 on Monday, the Texans played much closer than bettors and fans imagined. Gonzaga can redeem itself with a convincing win against Alabama on Saturday.

And speaking of redemption, Duke also has some saving face to do after Tuesday night's 71-66 loss to Ohio State. However, bookmakers are still high on Player of the Year candidate Paolo Banchero and his Blue Devils as their title odds shortened from +1400 preseason to +800 as of Wednesday.

Michigan didn't get as lucky as the Blue Devils. The shake-up at the top caused their odds to lengthen.

At 4-2 and first in the Big Ten, the Wolverines' championship odds are now listed at +1600 at FOX Bet. Those odds got longer from their preseason number of +1100. Michigan's first loss was a 67-65 defeat to Seton Hall but its second loss was lopsided as the Wolverines fell to Arizona 80-62.

FOX Bet trader Dylan Brossman noted that Juwan Howard is coaching a "strong blend of upperclassmen and highly skilled freshmen." Perhaps this mix will help Big Blue rebound Wednesday night against unranked North Carolina, a game in which they are 2.5-point favorites.

Villanova comes in at +1100 on FOX Bet. Before the season, the Wildcats' chances of winning it all were +1400. Led by seniors Collin Gillespie (averaging 15.5 points per game after recovering from a knee injury) and Brandon Slater (shooting 59.6 percent from the field), Nova is first in the Big East.

The Wildcats have won handily in their four victories this season, stuffing away the competition by at least 18 points with each win. Oddsmakers expect them to keep up the trend of beating teams by at least 18 points as the Wildcats are 18.5-point favorites to defeat Penn on Wednesday night.

Then there's Purdue, who sits at +900 with the third-best odds to win it all (preseason +1500). Sophomore sensation Jaden Ivey is leading the charge for the Boilermakers as they get on the radar of bettors. He's also proving why he, too, should be considered for POY.

The No. 5 UCLA Bruins have the fourth-best odds to win it all at +1200. At 6-1 and second in the Pac-12, the Bruins' only blemish is an 83-63 loss to Gonzaga. Johnny Juzang, another Player of the Year candidate, leads the hoopers from Westwood, averaging 17.4 points per game. The Bruins have the offensive firepower to contend with anyone in the nation, averaging 84.3 points per contest.

UCLA plays host to the 6-1 Colorado Buffaloes on Wednesday, and they're favored by 13.5 points.

So what should we make of these major line movements this early in the season? For that, we turn to FOX Bet trader Dylan Brossman.

"Duke joined Gonzaga last night in losing their early undefeated season with their 71-66 loss to Ohio State," Brossman said. "But there is no major concern here.

"A storyline to monitor, however, is star freshman Paolo Banchero as his cramping issues have forced him to the sidelines on more than one occasion this season."

As bettors look to cash in during March Madness, the oddsmaker thinks Gonzaga is the team to beat.

"Unlike last season, this team will not face the pressure of completing an undefeated season in the national championship game," he said. "With their Big 3 — POY front-runner Drew Timme, sophomore guard Julian Strawther and Chet Holmgren — the Zags might not lose again before the start of the NCAA Tournament."

As for FOX Bet's biggest liabilities, Brossman stated all the bets and money are on the biggest names.

"Our most bet-on team and highest liability is Gonzaga, and our next most popular bet is Duke when it comes to number of bets and liability," Brossman said. "Our third most popular bet-on team is Villanova, which would be a winning result for us."

When it comes to the Player of the Year award, bettors and Brossman see the race as a wide-open one.

"E.J. Liddell and Ochai Agbaji are the big movers here, as Liddell has shortened from +2100 preseason to +1200 after OSU’s upset vs. Duke and averaging 22.5 ppg for Kansas has pushed Agbaji from +2500 to +1200," Brossman said. "Chet Holmgren has dropped to +3000 despite a solid freshman season thus far (+800 preseason), but Drew Timme (+400) is clearly the leader of Gonzaga so it will be tough for Holmgren, or anyone in the country for that matter, to get votes ahead of Timme."

So are you wagering on the favorites in Gonzaga? Or are you taking a team such as Purdue or Michigan to cut down the final net?

For the POY, are you sprinkling a couple of bucks on the favorite in Timme, or going with a big mover such as Liddell?

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