College Basketball Top 25 Odds: Gonzaga And Baylor Dominating On Top

It’s a two team race on top of college basketball. Gonzaga (19-0) won last night at BYU 82-71 to remain undefeated and ranked No. 1 in front of the other undefeated team in the country, Baylor (17-0). The two top 25 heavyweights continue to be the dominant teams in college basketball. But Baylor is sidelined and out of action for the next few weeks with Monday’s announcement by the team and Big 12 conference.

Three Baylor men’s basketball games have been postponed due to the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball interruption guidelines, the Big 12 Conference office announced Monday. 

It’s actually four games, and Baylor will not play again until Feb. 20.

For bettors who watched the end of the Gonzaga game last night, the Zags were a 10.5 or 11-point favorite (closing #), and had the game in hand leading by 18-19 points in the final minutes. But BYU made a late push, and cut the lead to 9 points with 15 seconds left. The Cougars coach apparently thought the game was still in doubt, so a double team on the inbounds was followed by a foul and 2 made free throws by Gonzaga to make it an 11 points game again. BYU drove the length of the floor and made a layup with less than 6 seconds left to cut it to 9 points again. Game over? BYU FOULED AGAIN. Gonzaga made 2 more free throws to make it 82-71. BYU’s last second baseline shot bounced off the rim and bettors were left hanging depending on the number they bet.

One thing’s for certain if you watched Gonzaga play again. They are the best team in the country with some NBA caliber players and an offense with a number of shooters and scorers that leads the country in scoring and a number of shooting categories. Jalen Suggs is a silky smooth guard and next level player who will be the No. 1 or No. 2 pick n the NBA draft.

College Basketball Top 25

Following last months Top 25 update, we see some movement beyond Gonzaga and Baylor at the top. The odds to win the national championship continue to adjust, and basketball fans are planning on 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.

If you’re following the Top 25 rankings and odds, you’ll notice the big names and blue bloods missing.

Kentucky (5-12), Kansas (13-7), North Carolina (12-6) and Duke (7-7) are all unranked. These teams are mostly struggling on the court in an unprecedented season dealing with the pandemic. Why is that significant? Consider this with the changing of the guard in college basketball as the NCAA Tournament approaches next month.

None of the 13 winningest college basketball programs are currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Zero.

Kansas fell from the rankings following its 91-79 loss at West Virginia on Saturday. That snapped the Jayhawks record streak of 231 consecutive weeks (12 years) in the AP Poll.

Here is the distinguished list, and the 13 teams missing from the Top 25 college basketball poll.

Winningest teams in college basketball history:

Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Temple, Syracuse, UCLA, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Indiana, Arizona, Utah, Cincinnati,

AP Top 25 Rankings and Odds to Win NCAA Tournament and Reach Final Four

*NCAA Tournament Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook and Final Four Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.

• 1.  Gonzaga (+280) Bulldogs Final Four Odds: (-305)

• 2.  Baylor (+320) Bears Final Four Odds: (-305)

• 3.  Michigan (+900) Wolverines Final Four Odds: (+170)

• 4.  Ohio State (+1000) Buckeys Final Four Odds: (+425)

• 5.  Villanova (+900) Wildcats Final Four Odds: (+100)

• 6.  Illinois (+1400) Fighting Illini Final Four Odds: (+400)

• 7.  Texas Tech (+2500) Red Raiders Final Four Odds: (+250)

• 8.  Houston (+1900) Cougars Final Four Odds: (+250)

• 9.  Virginia (+2000) Cavaliers Final Four Odds: (+400)

• 10. Missouri (+5000) Tigers Final Four Odds: (+900)

• 11. Alabama (+1700) Crimson Tide Final Four Odds: (+400)

• 12. Oklahoma (+4000) Sooners Final Four Odds: (+400)

• 13. Texas (+1700) Longhorns Final Four Odds: (+200)

• 14. West Virginia (+2500) Mountaineers Final Four Odds: (+1150)

• 15. Iowa (+1600) Hawkeyes Final Four Odds: (+350)

• 16. Tennessee (+2200) Volunteers Final Four Odds: (+400)

• 17. Florida State (+2300) Seminoles Final Four Odds: (+300)

• 18. Virginia Tech (+6500) Hokies Final Four Odds: (+425)

• 19. Creighton (+2500) Bluejays Final Four Odds: (+300)

• 20. USC (+4000) Trojans Final Four Odds: (+1150)

• 21. Wisconsin (+2400) Badgers Final Four Odds: (+250)

• 22. Loyola Chicago (+7000) Final Four Odds: (+2000)

• 23. Oklahoma State (+6000) Cowboys Final Four Odds: (+450)

• 24. Purdue (+6500) Boilermakers Final Four Odds: (+450)

• 25. Rutgers (N/A) Scarlet Knights Final Four Odds: N/A

Others receiving votes: Colorado 41, San Diego St. 38, Xavier 37, UCLA 35, Florida 29, Louisville 28, Belmont 25, Kansas 18, Drake 16, Minnesota 12, North Carolina 8, St. John’s 7, Toledo 6, Clemson 6, Arkansas 3, Boise St. 3, Saint Louis 2, UAB 1, VCU 1, BYU 1.

You can read more in my college basketball Top 25 update at osga.com.

If you’re betting college basketball futures, it’s important to compare and bet the best numbers, as they can be vary quite a bit. Same with Final Four odds at select sportsbooks, as West Virginia has not been updated to reflect their rise and could be bet now at better odds.

Villanova (12-2) suffered their first loss in Big East play last week in a 70-59 defeat at St. John’s as a 9-point favorite. Houston (16-2) also dropped by remains on top of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars lost at East Carolina 82-73 as a huge 16.5 point favorite.

The Big Ten Conference rated the best in college basketball at the end of 2020, and has continued its rise the past five weeks with three teams ranked in the Top 10 and seven teams in the Top 25. That does not include Minnesota (11-7), as the Golden Gophers have lost three straight games since beating Michigan and handing the No. 3 Wolverines their only loss of the season. Michigan has not played since winning at Purdue Jan. 22, and the Wolverines have their toughest stretch ahead with four road games in their final six contests including against ranked teams Wisconsin and Ohio State, and home versus Rutgers and Iowa. The Wolverines also play at Indiana and conclude the regular season with a rivalry game against unranked Michigan State. Even that doesn’t sound right.

College Basketball Futures Betting Data

At many leading online sportsbooks, Gonzaga had taken 3-4 times more bets and money to win the NCAA Tournament than any other team. Baylor is gaining stream, but the Zags have still taken greater than 25% of both bets and handle at some sportsbooks to win the NCAA Tourney and National Championship. Some othe the other popular bets to win it all are Michigan, Illinois, Baylor, Iowa, West Virginia and Villanova.

Gonzaga and Baylor Rule

Gonzaga looks to remain undefeated when they visit BYU on Feb. 8 as an 11-point favorite. The Bulldogs are just 8-9-1 ATS this season, but look at this compilation of wins for the ‘Zags.

Virginia, 98-75
Kansas, 102-90
Iowa, 99-88
West Virginia, 87-82
Auburn, 90-67
San Francisco, 85-62
BYU, 86-69

The only game Gonzaga failed to cover the point spread was against West Virginia.

Baylor is crushing opponents and points spreads going 13-4 ATS. The Bears now have their momentum slowed as they will not play again until Feb. 20. The team just announced its upcoming scheduled Big 12 games have been postponed due to the conference’s interruption guidelines. That means no games against Oklahoma, Texas Tech and West Virginia twice, after the Jan. 12 game against the Mountaineers was already postponed. Also, Baylor just had its Feb. 6 game against TCU postponed. The Bears four most recent wins include double-digit victories over Texas, Auburn, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

You’re going to hear the phrase “on the bubble” often over the next five weeks leading up to Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga and Baylor are nearly secure as No. 1 seeds, but the bluebloods are on the bubble, or in Kentucky’s case, getting clawed.