March Madness Odds: Undefeated Kentucky A Heavy Favorite To Win Title

The Kentucky Wildcats enter the final month of the college hoops regular season as both the nation?s only undefeated squad and strong 6/5 favorites to emerge as 2015 national champions at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

However, while much of the betting focus has been on the Wildcats and their 24-0 record, a number of teams that started the season with long odds now appear poised to challenge Kentucky during March Madness.

After being anointed as a No. 1 seed during last year?s tournament, the Virginia Cavaliers fell to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen and opened this year?s campaign as a distant 50/1 futures bet on the odds to win the NCAA Tournament. But a strong 22-1 start has given the Cavs? odds a big boost, placing them alongside the Duke Blue Devils at 8/1, trailing only Kentucky.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs limped into last year?s NCAA tournament as an eight seed and were bounced by the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in an 84-61 third-round rout. Facing lowered expectations, the Bulldogs were pegged as a 25/1 preseason bet at the sportsbooks.

With the only blemish on their record this season being another loss to Arizona, the 24-1 Bulldogs? odds of claiming their first national championship have vaulted to a strong 9/1, deadlocked with the 22-2 Wisconsin Badgers. Conversely, the Wildcats have seen their odds dip to 12/1 after opening their campaign at 9/1.

Arizona is followed by another one of this season’s surprise stories, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who sit with odds of 20/1. After finishing last season with a 15-17 overall record and failing to qualify for the Big Dance, the Irish opened as 100/1 long shots on the March Madness betting lines. Notre Dame has bolted to a 22-4 start, going 10-3 against conference rivals, good for second in the ACC standings, and has emerged as a dark horse contender for this year?s national championship title.

The Utah Utes also have grabbed the attention of oddsmakers after being overlooked in the preseason college basketball futures. The Utes finished 2014 with a middling 21-12 overall record, failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for a fifth consecutive year. But Utah has roared to life this season, currently tied with Arizona atop the Pac-12 standings with an 8-2 record in conference play, earning the Utes respectable 25/1 odds at the sportsbooks.

Photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images