College Basketball Top 25 Rankings And 2021 National Championship Odds

The college basketball season moves to 2021 and there have been a number of changes in the college basketball top 25 since the season started. The odds to win the national championship continue to adjust, and basketball fans hope there will be a NCAA Tournament this year after last year’s surprising halt to the college hoops season and cancellation of the biggest event – The NCAA Tournament and Final Four.

The college basketball AP rankings come out every Monday. I chipped in at TheDuel with some updates and have added the Top 25 rankings below along with National Championship odds and odds to make the Final Four at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Two years ago in late Februay, I made a pair of small futures bets on Texas Tech (75/1) to win the National Championship just prior to the Red Raiders beating Kansas. Tech dropped to 40/1 following the win and was moving up the college basketbal top 25. A friend of mine was all giddy that he bet $200 on Tech at 40/1. I text him my two tickets for $40 at 75/1.

Texas Tech was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and made it to the National Championship before falling to No. 1 Virginia in overtime. I hedged prior to and during that contest in-play wagering, but would have won much more had the Red Raiders won it all.

A few comments for futures bettors is that there are still opportunities to bet on teams at potentially longer odds, although betting futures is not usually a prudent play or something pro bettors make their money at over time. Especially on favorites, although you’ll see so many bets noted on favorites with low odds and no value. But if you bet futures, be sure to compare odds and bet the best prices as able.

Also note that Texas Tech had an excellent defensive team that season. In my notes from Kenpom in the update, you’ll see some of the top adjusted defensive efficiency teams.

• Texas Tech
• Tennessee
• Clemson
• Texas
• Ole Miss
• Kansas
• Wisconsin
• Stanford
• Baylor
• Virginia
• Memphis
• Houston
• West Virginia

Of those schools and teams, only Baylor also has an adjusted offensive efficiency rating that’s better than the average of the last eight national champions on Jan. 1.

If you were projecting ahead or thought Texas was a top team worth taking a future bet on in the Big 12 or national title, then you could have bet the Longhorns at better odds last week prior to Texas’ 25-point blowout win over Kansas – the worst home loss for the Jayhawks under longtime coach Bill Self.

College Basketball Top 25 and National Championship – Final Four odds

1. Gonzaga (+350) Bulldogs Final 4 Odds: (-220)

2. Baylor (+700) Bears Final 4 Odds: (+110)

3. Villanova (+900) Wildcats Final 4 Odds: (+125)

4. Texas (+1500) Longhorns Final 4 Odds: (+500)

5. Iowa (+1200) Hawkeyes Final 4 Odds: (+145)

6. Kansas (+1900) Jayhawks Final 4 Odds: (+250)

7. Creighton ( +1900) Bluejays Final 4 Odds: (+450)

8. Wisconsin (+1500) Badgers Final 4 Odds: (+270)

9. Tennessee (+1300) Volunteers Final 4 Odds: (+400)

10. Michigan (+4000) Wolverines Final 4 Odds: (+900)

11. Houston (+2000) Cougars Final 4 Odds: (+350)

12. Illinois (+1300) Fighting Illini Final 4 Odds: (+250)

13. Missouri (+6500) Tigers Final 4 Odds: (+1100)

14. West Virginia (+1900) Mountaineers Final 4 Odds: (+250)

15. Rutgers (+5000) Scarlett Knights Final 4 Odds: (+250)

16. Minnesota (+8500) Golden Gophers Final 4 Odds: (+600)

17. Oregon (+4500) Ducks Final 4 Odds: (+700)

18. Texas Tech ( +3000) Red Raiders Final 4 Odds: (+550)

19. Clemson (+5500) Tigers Final 4 Odds: (+1200)

20. Virginia Tech (+2800) Hokies Final 4 Odds: (+500)

21. Duke (+2500) Blue Devils Final 4 Odds: (+500)

22. Virginia (+2500) Cavaliers Final 4 Odds: (+500)

23. St. Louis (+5000) Billikens Final 4 Odds: (+1000)

24. Michigan State (+2000) Spartans Final 4 Odds (+450)

25. Florida State (+2500) Seminoles Final 4 Odds (+450)

Others receiving votes: Florida 110, Louisville 103, Ohio State 96, Northwestern 86, Oklahoma State 68, Arizona 25, Colorado 19, BYU 18, Drake 17, North Carolina State 16, Oklahoma 15, Arkansas 14, Seton Hall 11, UCLA 6, Xavier 5, San Diego State 4, Connecticut 4, LSU 3, Boise State 3, Indiana 2, Alabama 2, Syracuse 1

Check out additional information you can bet on in my update at TheDuel.