We are three months into the college basketball season and many teams have had their share of the spotlight on them.
Twenty-one different schools have reached the Top 10 in the AP Poll, five reaching the No. 1 slot. As the season continues to ramp up approaching March, it’s becoming more clear who has the best chance of cutting down the nets in New Orleans.
The preseason favorite was the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They punched in at +600 before the season on FanDuel Sportsbook and have yet to disappoint. Duke and Purdue were both +900, and the defending champs Baylor entered the season at +1100. All four of these teams are still in the top eight spots for odds to win the National Championship. Here is a list of the current top 12 odds on FanDuel to take home the title:
Gonzaga +500
Auburn +800
Purdue +800
Kentucky +800
Arizona +1000
Duke +1200
Kansas +1600
Baylor +1600
UCLA +2000
Villanova +2500
Illinois +2500
Houston +4000
One thing stands tall (literally) above the rest. The top six teams on that list all have a big man down low that will make his presence felt by their opponent.
Freshman Chet Holmgren for Gonzaga has come into his own after coming out of the gate a little sluggish. Averaging 14.7 points/game, 9.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks, Holmgren can seemingly do it all. His ability to shoot can separate him from other bigs he will face in March, and the 7’2″ frame is shooting 46.3% from beyond the arc! Gonzaga will likely be a one seed, and they have their eyes focused on making it back to the title game for a second consecutive year.
Walker Kessler for Auburn is a major key as to why the Tigers are No 1 in the AP poll currently. At 7’1″, 245 lbs., the North Carolina transfer is averaging 11.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and is second in the nation with 4.2 blocks/game. Kessler has the Tigers in line for a one seed for the first time since 1999.
Purdue may be the nation’s best all-around team on the offensive end. Jaden Ivey is turning into one of the best players this season, but Zach Edey is an absolute monster in the paint. Only one player in Division I is taller than Edey, as the 7’4″ sophomore gets 7.6 boards and 14.9 points/game and honestly just makes it look easy. Look for the Boilermakers to make a deep run in the tournament.
Kentucky is the one of the more intriguing teams. The top rebounder in the country resides in Lexington and watching Oscar Tshiebwe is an absolute treat. Tshiebwe grabs 15.2 rebounds per game. Back in December, the junior from Congo had 28 (!!!) rebounds against Western Kentucky. The combo of Tshiewbe and guard TyTy Washington is going to be deadly in March.
Arizona’s Christian Koloko runs the nation’s No. 5 defense according to KenPom. Tommy Lloyd leaving Gonzaga to lead Arizona to a current No. 7 AP ranking and No. 2 KenPom ranking has been a great surprise. Last year, Arizona missed the tournament with a self-imposed postseason ban after going 17-9 overall and 11-9 in the Pac-12 in Sean Miller’s final season in Tuscon. They’re on the west coast, the Pac-12 gets overlooked, but having Arizona relevant is a great thing for college basketball and they should be heading into the second weekend of the tournament on everyones bracket.
And then there is Duke. A forgotten about fact that no one talks about at all: It’s Coach K’s final season. I had no idea!! Seven-footer Mark Williams swats away 3.1 shots per game and has an incredible 69.9 field goal percentage, but he isn’t the Blue Devil’s leading rebounder. That is Paolo Banchero, the star Freshman that sits near the top of most experts’ draft board. He might be the reason Coach K’s last game could include a ladder and a pair of scissors, as he’s averaging 17.5 points/game, 8.4 boards, Banchero has been everything we expected.
Those six teams are all +1200 or less to win the National Championship. Want a dark horse? You might have noticed I didn’t mention the nation’s best big man, Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn. At +2500, Illinois has the most bang for your buck. Brad Underwood has a squad that can take anyone in the nation, and all it takes sometimes in March is to just get hot. Cockburn is sixth in the nation with 21.8 points/game, fifth in the nation with 11.4 rebounds; he’s a walking double-double. Pair him with a healthy Andre Curbelo and the Illini will have a chance to get back to their first Final Four since its 2005 team.
I would put my money on one of these teams to have their One Shining Moment on April 4. All of these teams have amazing guard play, but one thing that will separate them from the field is down on the low block and in the paint. Look for the Big Man on Campus to cut down the nets in the Big Easy in 2022.