The 2024 March Madness tournament is a long way off, but it’s never too early to start planning ahead. The event is, after the Super Bowl, the most-bet sporting event in the US. Last year’s tournament was chock full of upsets and No. 4 seed UConn won the national title. How should bettors approach next season?
Key Points
– Bettors can find some great value in the 2024 March Madness futures market.
– The list of favorites in the 2024 March Madness futures market shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Recap of Last Year’s NCAA Tournament
UConn defeated San Diego State 76-59 in one of the most exciting tournaments in history. For the first time in tourney history, all four No. 1 seeds were eliminated before the Elite Eight.
Three teams – San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, and Miami – advanced to the Final Four for the first time in each of their programs’ histories. The biggest upset of the tournament came in Round 1 when the tournament’s top-seeded team and overall favorite Purdue, lost to a No. 16 seed. It was only the second time in March Madness history that a No. 1 seed lost in the first round of play.
With 2023 in the history books, it’s time to look ahead to 2024 March Madness.
No Coach K? No Problem
As college basketball enters its offseason, the Duke Blue Devils are one of the early favorites to win the title next year. Duke finished 27-9 and won the ACC tournament in its first season without the illustrious Mike Krzyzewski behind the bench. The Blue Devils won their first-round game but lost to Tennessee in the second round.
The team, led by new head coach Jon Scheyer, will feature a ton of talented freshmen in 2024. Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipkowksi will all be back for their second seasons. Jeremy Roach might return for his senior year, but the recruiting class is the main factor in Duke’s +1300 odds to win it all in 2024.
Next season, Scheyer will have five five-star recruits. His starting lineup in 2024 will most likely be made up of five-star prospects. The promising freshmen include MacKenzie Mgbako, Sean Stewart, and Jared McCain. Watch out for Duke next season.
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2024 March Madness – Coach Cal Is Back
Kentucky appeared to be ready to give up and have a losing season at one point last year. Give Kentucky and head coach John Calipari some credit. They recovered to finish 22-12 and take home an NCAA tournament victory.
The Wildcats, who are also among the favorites to win the championship next year at +1500, will lose several seniors, including Oscar Tshiebwe. Calipari won’t have a problem with that because he signed the Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 7 recruits in the nation. Dajuan Wagner Jr., son of Dajuan Sr. and grandson of Louisville great Milt, is the top prospect for the Wildcats.
The Top Contenders for 2024 March Madness
It only makes sense that the Kansas Jayhawks, who have participated in the last 33 consecutive NCAA tournaments, are mentioned whenever there is talk of a national championship. Kansas, which won the 2022 NCAA title, was among the top favorites but has drifted to +2500 to win a sixth national championship.
It also makes sense for the current national champion to be listed among the top candidates at most online bookmakers. Last December, UConn was listed at +2100 to win it all. By January, the Huskies were at +1300. Head coach Dan Hurley’s team will open the 2023–24 season as the odds-on favorite to repeat given odds of +1100. No NCAA team has repeated as champions since Florida did it in 2006-07.
Other top contenders include Alabama and Arizona, who were the top two seeds, respectively, in the South Regional last season. Both teams are listed at +1500 currently. Purdue is given +1600 odds, but those could change depending upon the status of 7-foot-4-inch center Zach Edey. He was the Big Ten and National Player of the Year last season. Edey is testing his NBA draft stock and has yet to declare.
Marquette is another leading candidate to win it all next season. Shaka Smart’s Eagles won both the regular season and conference tournament championships in the Big East. After a loss to Michigan State in the tournament’s second round, they finished 28-6.
The Golden Eagles were joined by another Big East team, Creighton, in last year’s tourney. The Blue Jays came within one point of advancing to the Final Four. Creighton lost to San Diego State 57-56 in the South Regional Final. Both Creighton and Marquette are given +2000 odds to win 2024 March Madness.
Longshots
The remaining members of last year’s Final Four field are longshots for next season. Miami and Florida Atlantic are both currently listed at +3000. Runner-up San Diego State is a huge +10000 longshot. Next year, the Owls will play in the more competitive American Athletic Conference.
Houston, listed at +2500, is the favorite to win the AAC again. The Cougars were the top seed in the Midwest Region and lost to Miami in the Sweet Sixteen. Gonzaga is the highest-ranked team from a non-Power conference and a consistent March Madness favorite. The Bulldogs, led by head coach Mark Few, are given +2500 to win. Legendary head coach Rick Pitino takes over at St. John’s. The Red Storm are given +10000 odds to win their first-ever national championship.
