March Madness Betting Odds

• 2012 March Madness

College Basketball Betting Odds

NCAA Basketball Betting: Defending national champion Duke remains as the preseason favorite to win another crown, but there are several great schools salivating at the chance to knock off the Blue Devils. The NCAA basketball season is right around the corner, so join Bookmaker.com and start cashing in. Check out the new mobile platform, Triple Double, which is ultra-convenient for betting on the go. Bookmaker.com is where the line originates and you get paid!

Bet on NCAA basketball – While teams like Kentucky and Kansas were hit hard by mass departures of early-entry candidates to the NBA, Duke’s strategy of signing players that plan on staying in school for awhile couldn’t have worked out any better. Not only did the Blue Devils win the NCAA Championship last season when Butler’s Gordon Hayward missed a 3-point shot from halfcourt as the buzzer sounded, but Duke is set up well to become the first repeat champions in college basketball since Florida won two straight titles in 2006 and 2007.

The Blue Devils do lose three starters, including point guard Jon Scheyer, but there is plenty of talent left. Kyle Singler returns for his senior season, as does Nolan Smith. The frontcourt will expect a lot out of Miles and Mason Plumlee, but they showed flashes of their ability last year. The returners will be buoyed by the incoming transfer of Seth Curry and freshman Kyrie Irving, one of the most sought after recruits in the country.

While Duke deserves to be the early-season favorite, there are plenty of teams with legitimate shots at the hardware. Michigan State made the Final Four last season, and returns nearly every difference-maker from that team. Guard Kailin Lucas leads the way for the Spartans, who also return Durrell Summers and Chris Allen. Add in recruits Adreian Payne and Keith Appling, and this experienced group could be making a return trip to the Final Four.

Although it has Final Four talent, Michigan State will have a tough time navigating the Big Ten conference, with Purdue its biggest challenger. The Boilermakers have vaulted from top-25 to a top-5 team with the return of seniors JaJuan Johnson and E’Twuan Moore, both of whom had tested the NBA waters, but decided to return for their senior seasons. Add in star forward Robbie Hummel, and suddenly Purdue has loads of experience and plenty of talent to make a deep tournament run. Ohio State and Illinois both have the talent to be a top-10 team by the end of the year.

Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor should be in a three-way battle for Big 12 supremacy. Kansas State will be the early favorite with Jacob Pullen leading the way, but Kansas hopes top recruit Josh Selby can fill in at point guard immediately and help soften the losses of Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry. Baylor loses Ekpe Udoh and Tweety Carter from last year’s Elite 8 squad, but LaceDarius Dunn returns.

Syracuse says goodbye to Wesley Johnson, but with some decent experience coming back and a solid recruiting class, the Orange should still be seen as the early Big East favorites. Pittsburgh, Villanova and Georgetown will give Syracuse a run for its money in the always-tough Big East conference.

At this early juncture, Florida is the team to beat in the SEC, while Washington is the early pick in the Pac-10 and Memphis should cruise again in Conference USA. Of those three, Washington may be the most athletic and have the best shot at a deep tournament run, but it must become more consistent than last season. Washington should be challenged by Arizona, UCLA and Arizona State.

North Carolina is coming off a down year, but with freshman Harrison Barnes now on campus, those memories could fade quickly. Butler was the Cinderella team which captivated the nation last year, and although it lost star Gordon Hayward, there is enough talent returning for the team to make it back to the NCAA Tournament and win a couple games. Gonzaga is the other mid-major that should be good enough to get past the first weekend of March Madness.

Kentucky was a popular pick to win the national title last year, but the Wildcats were knocked out in the Elite 8. The team’s young core was very exciting and ultra-talented, but unfortunately for Kentucky fans, five major contributors – including top-5 picks John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins – all left for the NBA. Coach John Calipari has once again recruited a solid group of high schoolers, but don’t expect the Wildcats to be contending for the national title this season.

This college basketball season looks to be as exciting as ever. And as Butler showed last year, the unpredictable happens on a daily basis. Do you want to prove your college hoops acumen? Log onto Bookmaker.com to access all the latest NCAA basketball futures, betting odds, live lines, analysis, and more. As the leading sportsbook, Bookmaker.com is the premium site for casual and hardcore gamblers alike. Bookmaker’s new mobile platform, Triple Double, now makes betting on the go a breeze. Join Bookmaker.com now and turn your knowledge into money.

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Top NCAA Basketball Teams

• Arizona Wildcats
• Brigham Young Cougars
• Butler Bulldogs
• Connecticut Huskies
• Duke Blue Devils
• Florida Gators
• Florida State Seminoles
• Kansas Jayhawks
• Kansas State Wildcats
• Kentucky Wildcats
• Louisville Cardinals
• Marquette Golden Eagles
• North Carolina Tar Heels
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Ohio State Buckeyes
• Pittsburgh Panthers
• Purdue Boilermakers
• Richmond Spiders
• San Diego State Aztecs
• Syracuse Orange
• Texas Longhorns
• Utah State Aggies
• Virginia Commonwealth Rams
• Washington Huskies
• Wisconsin Badgers