There's a new betting favorite to win the 2020 NCAA Tournament in the eyes of Vegas oddsmakers. After just one full week of action on the court, Michigan State, the preseason No. 1 team in the sport that doubled as the preseason betting favorite, has been supplanted as the national championship favorite by Kentucky -- the team that handed the Spartans a loss on opening night.
The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start to their season with their best win -- over Sparty -- among the most impressive by any team in the sport to date. As such, their odds jumped from 8-1 two weeks ago to 9-2, giving them a slight edge over Michigan State. MSU previously was the favorite with 6-1 odds, but is now second behind UK despite slightly improved odds of 5-1.
As for other shifts in lines to note, Kansas and North Carolina's odds both dipped to 12-1. KU was 8-1 to open the season but is off to a 1-1 start to its season, with a season-opening loss to Duke putting a damper on an otherwise promising season. North Carolina's odds dipped from preseason odds of 10-1 despite a 2-0 start with wins over Notre Dame and UNC Wilmington. Memphis, meanwhile, saw its odds take a hit from 18-1 to 20-1 as uncertainty surrounds the eligibility status of star freshman big man James Wiseman. On the opposite trajectory, Louisville's odds improved dramatically from 16-1 to 12-1.
College basketball odds
via Westgate Las Vegas Superbook
| Team | This week 11/11/19 | Last week 11/4/19 |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 9-2 | 8-1 |
| Michigan State | 5-1 | 6-1 |
| Duke | 12-1 | 12-1 |
| North Carolina | 12-1 | 10-1 |
| Kansas | 12-1 | 8-1 |
| Louisville | 12-1 | 16-1 |
| Florida | 20-1 | 14-1 |
| Memphis | 20-1 | 18-1 |
| Virginia | 25-1 | 25-1 |
| Villanova | 25-1 | 20-1 |
| Gonzaga | 25-1 | 20 |
| Arizona | 25-1 | 30-1 |
| Oregon | 25-1 | 30 |
| Texas Tech | 25-1 | 30-1 |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 40-1 |
| Washington | 40-1 | 60-1 |
| Xavier | 40-1 | 60-1 |
| Ohio State | 50-1 | 50-1 |
| Baylor | 50-1 | 50-1 |
| Florida State | 60-1 | 80-1 |
| Purdue | 60-1 | 60-1 |
| Utah State | 60-1 | 60-1 |
| Auburn | 80-1 | 80-1 |
| LSU | 80-1 | 60-1 |
| Seton Hall | 80-1 | 60-1 |
| Saint Mary's | 80-1 | 100-1 |
| Michigan | 100-1 | 80-1 |
| Mississippi State | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Houston | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Texas | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Cincinnati | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Colorado | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Southern Cal | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| VCU | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| West Virginia | 100-1 | 60-1 |
| New Mexico State | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Providence | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| San Diego State | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Marquette | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Syracuse | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Creighton | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Alabama | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Georgia | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Illinois | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| NC State | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Ole Miss | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Wisconsin | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Notre Dame | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Oklahoma State | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Wichita State | 200-1 | 300-1 |
| Harvard | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Liberty | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Iowa | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Iowa State | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Arizona State | 300-1 | 200-1 |
| Missouri | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Butler | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Georgetown | 300-1 | 200-1 |
| Pittsburgh | 300-1 | 500-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | 100-1 |
| Dayton | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Penn | 300-1 | 500-1 |
| Western Kentucky | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| East Tennessee State | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Vermont | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Wright State | 300-1 | 300-1 |
| Indiana | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Minnesota | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Oklahoma | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Penn State | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| UConn | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| UCLA | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Arkansas | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Kansas State | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Miami | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Missouri State | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Oregon State | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Boise State | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| UC-Irvine | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| New Mexico | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Rutgers | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| SMU | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| South Carolina | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Stanford | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Temple | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Belmont | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Charleston | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Northern Iowa | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Bowling Green | 500-1 | 1000-1 |
| South Florida | 500-1 | 300-1 |
| Cal-Santa Barbara | 500-1 | 1000-1 |
| UTEP | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Louisiana Tech | 500-1 | 2000-1 |
| St. John's | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Texas A&M | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Nebraska | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Nevada | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Saint Louis | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| TCU | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Utah | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Virginia Tech | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Northwestern | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| St. Bonaventure | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| BYU | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| California | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| UCF | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Clemson | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| DePaul | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Fresno State | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Grand Canyon | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Loyola-Chicago | 1000-1 | 500-1 |
| Old Dominion | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Rhode Island | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| UNLV | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Yale | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Ball State | 1000-1 | 500-1 |
| Drake | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Duquesne | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Iona | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Murray State | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| UNC Greensboro | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| North Texas | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Northeastern | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Princeton | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Richmond | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| South Alabama | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Texas State | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Toledo | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| UAB | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Texas-Arlington | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| UTSA | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Buffalo | 2000-1 | 1000-1 |
| San Francisco | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Wake Forest | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Washington State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Austin Peay | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Boston College | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Bradley | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Central Michigan | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Coastal Carolina | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Colorado State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Cal State-Fullerton | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Florida Atlantic | 2000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Florida International | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Furman | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| George Mason | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Georgia Southern | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Georgia State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Hawaii | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Hofstra | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Jacksonville State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Kent State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Louisiana | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Louisiana-Monroe | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| La Salle | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Long Beach State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Loyola Marymount | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Marshall | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Montana | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Northern Kentucky | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Oakland | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| San Diego | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| South Dakota State | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Southern Miss | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| St. Joseph's | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Tulsa | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Wofford | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Lipscomb | 5000-1 | 5000-1 |
| Utah Valley | 5000-1 | 5000-1 |
| Valparaiso | 5000-1 | 5000-1 |
| William & Mary | 5000-1 | 5000-1 |
