College Basketball National Championship Betting Trends

Neil Parker

Last Updated: March 21, 2022 6:05 AM EDT • 2 minute read

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The first two rounds of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are in the books, and the field is down to just 16 teams. BetMGM released its updated betting trends and odds for the National Championship.

Odds to Win 2022 National Championship

Gonzaga +230

Kansas +450

Arizona +500

Purdue +850

Houston +900

Duke +1100

Villanova +1400

Texas Tech +1600

UCLA +1800

Michigan +3000

North Carolina +3000

Arkansas +5000

Miami (FL) +5000

Providence +6600

Iowa State +8000

Saint Peter's +20000

Highest Ticket Percentage

Arizona 10.9%

Gonzaga 8.1%

Duke 7.5%

Kentucky 6.1%

Tennessee 5.6%

Auburn 5.4%

Purdue 5.2%

Kansas 5.1%

Baylor 3.9%

Villanova 3.4%

Check out the latest comprehensive and most trusted Sportsbook Reviews by SBR here.

Highest Handle Percentage

Arizona 15.4%

Gonzaga 12.1%

Duke 7.4%

Kentucky 6.8%

Purdue 5.6%

Auburn 5.6%

Tennessee 5.2%

Kansas 5.2%

Baylor 5.0%

UCLA 3.1%

Sportsbooks have already cashed in with the Kentucky Wildcats, Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers and Baylor Bears eliminated from the tournament. The Arizona Wildcats gave their backers a scare Sunday, March 20, as they needed overtime to top the TCU Horned Frogs .

Notable Line Movement

Saint Peter's opened +100000 to +20000

Miami (FL) opened +15000 to +5000

Iowa State opened +17500 to +8000

Providence opened +15000 to +6600

Arizona opened +5000 to +500

Houston opened +3500 to +900

Texas Tech opened +3500 to +1600

Kansas opened +1600 to +450

Purdue opened +1600 to +850

Gonzaga opened +600 to +230

Duke opened +1400 to +1100

Michigan opened +1000 to +3000

Arkansas opened +3000 to +5000

UCLA opened +1200 to +1800

Villanova opened +1200 to +1400

Consecutive upsets over the Kentucky Wildcats and the Murray State Racers have made the Saint Peter’s Peacocks the biggest storyline of the first two rounds of the tournament. The Peacocks are definitely this year’s Cinderella team, but bookmakers have them as 12.5-point underdogs for Friday’s matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Sweet Sixteen Schedule

Thursday, March 24

Arkansas at Gonzaga (-8.5) - Total: 154.5

Michigan at Villanova (-4.5) - Total: 135.5

Texas Tech (-1.5) at Duke - Total: 136.5

Houston at Arizona (-2.5) - Total: 145.5

Friday, March 25

Saint Peter’s at Purdue (-12.5) - Total: 135.5

Providence at Kansas (-7.5) - Total: 141.5

North Carolina at UCLA (-2.5) - Total: 142.5

Iowa State at Miami FL (-1.5) - Total: 133.5

https://twitter.com/johnewing/status/1505906573692047364

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Written by:
Neil Parker

A lifelong Cowboys, Cubs, Maple Leafs and Gators supporter, Neil has been covering sports in print and online since 2011. His past stops include USA TODAY, theScore, DraftKings Playbook and RotoWire among others. He's a graduate of St. Thomas University and Acadia University and spends ample time at KenWo Golf Club.