Odds to Win Men's National Championship Favor Houston Over Alabama Ahead of March (But Neither is the Best Bet)

Selection Sunday is under three weeks away and anticipation for March Madness is starting to grow. The top college basketball teams are pulling away from the pack as conference tournaments near closer. The field is wide open this year when it comes to which team will be the last one standing.

Houston remains the favorite to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament with +650 odds listed on FanDuel Sportsbook. The Cougars have been dominating in the AAC (13-1 record) and rank first in the country with a +19.7 average scoring margin. Head coach Kelvin Sampson has his boys playing great.

Alabama checks in with the second-best odds at +850 as it has posted a 13-1 SEC record and trails only two other teams when it comes to points per game this season (83.4). The rest of the top five is filled out with a trio of storied programs in Kansas (+1000), Purdue (+1000) and Baylor (+1200).

Here's how the rest of the odds shake out for the National Championship on FanDuel Sportsbook.

2023 Men's National Championship Odds

2023 Men's National Championship Prediction & Best Bet

Houston and Alabama are getting deserved recognition at this point, but the AAC and SEC do not compare to the depth of the Big 12. Nine of the Big 12's teams own a winning record on the year and six of those squads are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The competition has been intense.

The team that sits atop that insane conference is the Kansas Jayhawks. Head coach Bill Self's team has itself back in the National Championship mix despite losing a few key players after winning the title in 2022. Jalen Wilson is still around, though, and he is accompanied by freshman Gradey Dick.

Those two players are combining for 35.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game on a Kansas offense that ranks 33rd in shooting percentage (47.0%). The Jayhawks also rank among the top 75 teams in defensive efficiency, opponent turnovers per game (14.7) and total rebounds per game (36.4).

Kansas has the balanced roster needed to repeat as champions, so don't overlook the Jayhawks.

Bet: Kansas Jayhawks (+1000)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.