UConn favored to repeat as men’s national champion in 2024

The 2022-23 UConn Huskies defied the betting odds, going from an 80-to-1 long shot to national champions in the span of five months.

Rest assured, the 2023-24 UConn Huskies won’t be sneaking up on anyone — least of all oddsmakers.

Shortly after blowing out San Diego State 76-59 in Monday’s national championship game in Houston, UConn was installed as the betting favorite to repeat as champs. Which is something no college basketball team has done in more than 15 years. And something the Huskies haven’t done … ever.

Here’s an early look at college basketball championship odds for the 2023-24 season.

Odds updated as of 2:45 p.m. ET on April 4.

Exactly a year ago, Duke was the lead dog in the national championship odds race, even though Kansas had just cut down the nets in New Orleans. And even though legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewksi had just retired following a Final Four loss to national champion runner-up North Carolina, Duke opened at +800, the only team in the country with single-digit odds to win the 2022-23 crown.

Fast-forward 11 months and the Blue Devils didn’t make it out of the opening weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

UConn, on the other hand, did survive the opening weekend of March Madness. And the second. And the third.

The Huskies’ impressive run to their fifth national championship — all since 1999 — featured six double-digit victories and six point-spread covers. That dominant performance resonated with oddsmakers at multiple sportsbooks. Because they’ve already tabbed UConn as the team to beat next season.

However, the Huskies are far from an overwhelming favorite to become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

At FanDuel, for instance, UConn (+1100) is bunched with Duke (+1300); Arizona, Alabama and Kentucky (all +1500); and Purdue (+1600).

BetMGM has the same six teams at the top of its 2023-24 national championship odds board, but in a slightly different order and at slightly different prices.

Over at Caesars Sportsbook, however, UConn is on top at +1200, followed by Kansas and Duke (both +1500), then UCLA and Kentucky (both +1800).

A few of the biggest odds discrepancies among the top teams in college basketball’s futures market:

UConn, which opened at +6600 to win the 2022-23 title and moved out to +8000 in early November, was hardly the only surprise team to reach the Final Four.

Miami, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic — three teams seeded No. 5, No. 5 and No. 9, respectively — all made it to college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time.

But among those 2023 Final Four participants, only UConn is expected to make a run at next year’s championship.

Miami has consensus +3000 odds to win the national title. FanDuel also has Florida Atlantic at +3000, while BetMGM has the Owls at +3300. However, FAU — which opened at 250-to-1 to win it all this year — is +7000 at Caesars.

Meanwhile, San Diego State — which must replace a bunch of senior starters and key contributors — is 100-to-1 to cut down the nets next year in Glendale, Arizona, which hosts the 2024 Final Four.

Then there are several marquee college hoops programs that won at least one NCAA Tournament game last month but are way down the 2023-24 futures odds board. These include:

What about Villanova, which missed the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time since 2012, and Penn State, which lost in the second round to Texas?

The Wildcats range from +5000 at BetMGM to +10000 at Caesars. The Nittany Lions — who lost coach Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame and haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons since 1954 and 1955 — are 150-to-1 at BetMGM, 200-to-1 at Caesars and 250-to-1 at FanDuel.

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