NCAA Tournament odds, futures: Gonzaga still the betting favorite to win national championship

The Zags faced two tough tests in the opening weekend but still retained their status as title favorites

By Kyle Boone

Mar 21, 2022 at 1:43 pm ET • 1 min read

There were plenty of upsets and surprises from the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend, but in the world of futures betting, not a lot has changed at the top with 16 teams left in the field. No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga remains the favorite to win the national championship, followed closely by the other No. 1 seeds that advanced: Kansas and Arizona.

The way brackets have unfolded through the first two rounds heavily influences how the futures market looks entering the second weekend, however. For instance: No. 5 seed Houston has the fourth-best title odds at +1000 -- ahead of No. 2 seed Duke and No. 3 seed Texas Tech, both of which would likely face Gonzaga to get to the Final Four. And No. 1 seed Kansas has leapfrogged No. 1 seed Arizona to claim the second-best odds of winning it all, thanks in large part to both the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds bowing out of the Midwest Region over the weekend.

Elsewhere in the bracket, remaining contenders in the East Region received an odds boost after No. 2 seed Kentucky and No. 1 seed Baylor lost in the first and second rounds, respectively. No. 3 seed Purdue's odds moved from +1800 to +1000 after wins over Yale and Texas, and No. 4 seed UCLA also has a statistically better chance of winning the title according to Vegas, as its odds moved from +2000 to +1600.

There's plenty of other movement throughout the futures market as well. So as we gear up for Sweet 16 action tipping off Thursday, below is an updated snapshot at current odds, courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

2022 NCAA championship odds

Gonzaga: +225
Kansas: +475
Arizona: +500
Houston: +1000
Purdue: +1000
Villanova: +1200
Texas Tech: +1300
Duke: +1300
UCLA: +1600
North Carolina: +2200
Arkansas: +5000
Providence: +5000
Michigan: +5000
Miami: +7500
Iowa State: +10000
Saint Peter's: +20000

The futures market from Caesars Sportsbook also has up-to-date handicapped odds on each region winner. Not surprisingly, each of the remaining No. 1 seeds is the betting favorite and No. 3 seed Purdue is the frontrunner in the East Region. No. 1 seed Arizona appears to be the most vulnerable of the No. 1 seeds, and it is the only regional favorite with plus odds.