Gonzaga Opens As 2021 NCAA Tournament Championship Odds
Thursday was a sad day as it was supposed to be the start of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Instead, due to the COVID-19 virus, March Madness has been canceled and we’ll have to wait for the 2021 event. The odds have opened up for the upcoming season, so let’s take a look at who is the early favorite.
GONZAGA
ODDS TO WIN 2021 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: +900
The Bulldogs were viewed as having less talent in 2020 compared to the 2019 team. Yet, the 2020 Zags were going to get a No. 1 seed in the West Region, before the NCAA Tournament was canceled. The 2019 team got a No. 1 seed in the West Region and reached the Elite Eight. If 2020 was a year in which Gonzaga was less talented, the younger players on the GU roster will blossom and be even better in 2021. Gonzaga is the team most likely to get a No. 1 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. For that reason alone, the Zags are a very reasonable choice as co-favorite for the national title. This program should be in the Elite Eight at the very least and will have a real chance to win it all.
VIRGINIA
ODDS TO WIN 2021 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: +900
The Virginia Cavaliers lost multiple NBA players this past season, including lottery pick DeAndre Hunter. They also lost elite wing shooter Kyle Guy and top-tier point guard Ty Jerome. The 2019 national champions were expected to take a step back in 2020, and they did… but they didn’t completely collapse. Virginia finished 15-5 in the 20-game ACC regular season. The Cavaliers somehow managed to get a No. 2 seed for the ACC Tournament, which began and played two days’ worth of games but was not able to be completed. Virginia was not able to play its quarterfinal-round game in the ACC Tournament. The event was cancelled on the morning of the day the Cavaliers were supposed to play. Nevertheless, finishing second in the ACC in a down year for the program means that in 2021, a strong recruiting class should enable Virginia to become the favorite in the ACC and a good bet for a No. 1 seed. Tony Bennett might be the best coach in the country. It would be wise to place a lot of trust in Virginia.
KANSAS
ODDS TO WIN 2021 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: +1000
The Jayhawks were the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament in 2020 before the brackets were announced. Kansas struggled in 2019 but looked like its normal, powerful self in 2020. The Jayhawks should be able to reload and move to the head of the pack for the 2021 season. The 2019 season was a brief hiccup; the Jayhawks regained their swagger this past season and should be able to carry it forward into 2021.
KENTUCKY
ODDS TO WIN 2021 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: +1200
The Wildcats had a team which took some time to come together in 2020. Kentucky was a real mess in mid-January because some of the younger players on the roster and the reserves on the bench needed more experience to understand what was expected of them. Kentucky rounded into form in late February and, by early March, looked like a team which was a lot more prepared to make a deep run in March. If the 2021 Kentucky roster can blend together earlier in the season and not require three full months to figure things out, the Wildcats could be a very dangerous team, the kind of team no one wants to play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
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