Odds to Win the 2011 NCAA Tournament


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March Madness is here and this is heaven for college basketball fans. It means the time has come to fill out your brackets until you come up with which team you feel is going to win the 2011 National Championship. For those of you who just want to wager on which team will win it all, then there are odds listed on each team in the field. I will list those odds below while previewing a few of the favorites. They are listed in the order of their overall seeding, and as you can see Kansas is the favorite. A $100 bet on the Jayhawks would profit you $400 if they were to be crowned 2011 champs.

Ohio State (+500) – The top overall seed, Ohio State put together a tremendous 32-2 season and once looked like they’d go through the regular season unbeaten. The Buckeyes are led by freshman sensation Jared Sullinger (17.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG) inside and William Buford (14.2 PPG), Jon Diebler (12.4), David Lighty (11.9) and Aaron Craft (7.3, 4.5 APG) outside. This is a team that can score (77.3) and defend (59.8) as well as anyone in the country.

Kansas (+400) – The Jayhawks have the best inside duo in the country with twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris. They helped Kansas to a 32-2 record this season while combining to score 30.9 PPG and grab 15.2 RPG. But Kansas will only go as far as guards Tyshawn Taylor and Josh Selby take them as their perimeter play is their biggest question mark.

Pittsburgh (+700) – The Panthers were the best team in the best conference all season while going 27-5 overall and 15-3 in Big East play. They have three senior starters in Brad Wanamaker (12.0 PPG), Gilbert Brown (10.9) and Gary McGhee (6.9, 7.6 RPG). But their best player is junior guard Ashton Gibbs, who leads the team in scoring (16.7). Their balance on offense (74.1) and defense (61.0) along with their senior leadership make the Panthers a very tough out.

Duke (+450) – You certainly can’t count out the defending national champion Blue Devils. Duke went 30-4 this season and cruised through the ACC Tournament with three double-digit blowout victories en route to the title. With seniors Nolan Smith (21.3 PPG) and Kyle Singler (17.3), and sharp-shooting sophomore Seth Curry (43.6% 3-point shooting) on the outside and the Plumlee brothers inside, the Blue Devils certainly have a winning formula. If they can get back freshman point guard Kyrie Irving from a toe injury that limited him to eight games this season, then look out.

North Carolina (+2000) – The Tar Heels were certainly the biggest surprise in the country in 2011. UNC had a down year last season and had to settle for the NIT. Behind new faces in freshmen Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall, along with the improvement of John Henson and Tyler Zeller, the Tar Heels won the ACC regular season title. They may be too young to win it all this year, but look out for them in 2012.

Notre Dame (+1700) – The Fighting Irish were the surprise of the Big East this season. Notre Dame went 26-6 this season and finished second in the Big East with a 14-4 conference mark. Despite losing their two best players from last year, the Irish were able to rally behind a seniors Ben Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis, Scott Martin, Carleton Scott and Tyrone Nash. All five averaged 9.7 PPG or more, led by Big East Player of the Year Hansbrough (18.5 PPG, 4.3 APG).

Florida (+1700) – After winning back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, head coach Billy Donovan has the Gators back in the mix. Florida went 26-7 this season and 13-3 in the SEC while winning their conference’s regular season crown. The Gators are led by sharp-shooting guards Erving Walker (14.6 PPG) and Kenny Boynton (14.3), along with do-it-all forward Chandler Parsons (11.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.6 APG). This trio could lead the Gators deep into the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

San Diego State (+1700) – The Aztecs get little national attention, but they are out to earn their respect in the Big Dance after a remarkable 32-2 season. SDSU only lost to one team all year and that was BYU, who beat them twice during the regular season. But the Aztecs had their revenge with a 72-54 victory over the Cougars in the MWC title game. This team has a stud inside in Kawhi Leonard (15.4 PPG, 10.7 RPG) and a senior point guard who refuses to lose in D.J. Gay (11.2 PPG, 3.2 APG). The Aztecs own the fifth-best scoring defense (58.9) in the land.

Syracuse (+2000)

Purdue (+2300)

BYU (+5500)

Connecticut (+2500)

Kentucky (+1700)

Louisville (+2200)

Wisconsin (+5200)

Texas (+2000)

West Virginia (+10000)

Vanderbilt (+12000)

Kansas State (+5500)

Arizona (+10000)

Xavier (+25000)

Georgetown (+12000)

St. John’s (+5500)

Cincinnati (+10000)

Washington (+5500)

Texas A&M (+30000)

UCLA (+16000)

Temple (+16000)

George Mason (+30000)

UNLV (+10000)

Butler (+25000)

Michigan (+25000)

Villanova (+18000)

Illinois (+12000)

Old Dominion (+18000)

Tennessee (+25000)

Georgia (+35000)

Florida State (+25000)

Michigan State (+10000)

Penn State (+25000)

Marquette (+14000)

USC (+25000)

VCU (+35000)

Gonzaga (+8000)

Missouri (+12000)

UAB (+50000)

Clemson (+25000)

Richmond (+30000)

Utah State (+8000)

Memphis (+25000)

Princeton (+50000)

Morehead State (+35000)

Belmont (+20000)

Oakland (+30000)

Indiana State (+50000)

St. Peter’s (+40000)

Wofford (+40000)

Bucknell (+50000)

Long Island (+100000)

UC Santa Barbara (+40000)

Northern Colorado (+50000)

UT-San Antonio (+100000)

Alabama State (+100000)

Boston U (+100000)

NC-Asheville (+100000)

Arkansas-Little Rock (+100000)

Hampton (+100000)

Akron (+50000)

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