College Basketball Title Futures: Trends Since Season Started

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Gonzaga doesn’t have many holes thanks to a loaded roster and one of the best coaches in the game in Mark Few. Even with an impressive start, should Gonzaga have odds this low a week into the season?

“I think it’s too low,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “We’ve got some liability on them, so we moved it down there. It’s just too early, all these kids are too green. All of these teams reload now, so it can take a while for the freshmen and transfers to gel. It’s also such a weird season with all of the COVID uncertainty, it wouldn’t take much for a team to be completely flipped.”

Besides Gonzaga, some other notable movers near the top of the board since last Wednesday include Baylor (10/1 to 7/1), Wisconsin (35/1 to 22/1), Kentucky (15/1 to 25/1) and Duke (18/1 to 25/1).

Gonzaga also leads all teams with 19% of the total dollars wagered to win the title since the season started. A trio of Big Ten teams are next, with Illinois (15/1) and Iowa (18/1) at 9% apiece, and Wisconsin close by at 7%.

One Nevada bettor put down $2,500 on Gonzaga 7/1 last week for a total potential payout of $20,000, which is the largest college basketball title future placed at William Hill since the season tipped off.

The top-3 teams in total dollars wagered also are first, second and third in total number of tickets since the season began. Iowa is tops at 12%, followed by Gonzaga at 10% and Illinois at 7%.

A few long shots are generating noticeable action as well.

Two teams with odds of 50/1 or higher are attracting at least 2% for both total number of tickets and total dollars wagered since the season started: Arizona State (55/1) and San Diego State (75/1).

Additionally, two teams with even longer odds have drawn massive wagers. A Nevada bettor laid $1,500 on Maryland 150/1 for a total potential payout of $226,500, while a $1,000 wager was placed by a Nevada bettor on Providence 200/1 for a total potential payout of $201,000. Both Maryland and Providence now sit at 100/1 in William Hill’s title futures.

Check out William Hill’s latest trends below for college basketball title futures since the season started.

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