Despite all the craziness throughout the first two rounds of this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament, the strong have largely survived. The four No. 1 seeds — Auburn, Florida, Duke and Houston — have advanced, largely without incident. If you went all chalk with your bracket, you’re pretty pleased with 12 of the top four regional seeds making up three-fourths of the Sweet 16.
Of course, upsets can still happen, and there’s one double-digit seed still alive (No. 10 Arkansas in the West Region). With the action picking back up on Thursday, we’ve put together a power ranking of the 16 remaining teams with a shot at a national title, ordered by their championship odds.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, March 24
Betting favorites to win NCAA men’s title
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Cooper Flagg is back and seemingly none the worse for wear. And guard Tyrese Proctor is draining 3-pointers. The Blue Devils are coming off an 89-66 rout of Baylor.
2. Florida (+350)
The Gators finally put an end to UConn’s two-year dominance in the NCAA Tournament with a nail-biting 77-75 win in the second round. The SEC champions look formidable behind the leadership (and clutch shooting) of All-America guard Walter Clayton Jr.
3. Houston (+500)
After knocking off Gonzaga, the Cougars now own the nation’s longest active streak of reaching the Sweet 16. Their success is built on their defense, which led the nation in scoring entering the second round, allowing an average of just 57.9 points per game.
4. Auburn (+525)
The Tigers were the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s tournament, but will have to survive a brutal draw in the South Region to reach the Final Four. So far, so good for Bruce Pearl’s squad after a pair of fairly easy wins over Alabama State and Creighton.
Talented, but need some breaks
5. Tennessee (+1600)
The Vols have already lost twice this season to their next opponent, SEC foe Kentucky. Have they figured things out or is the matchup just not a good one?
6. Alabama (+1800)
The Crimson Tide like to get up and down the floor, sporting the nation’s fourth-ranked scoring offense. They’re also battle-tested with each of their last 16 games coming against schools in the tournament field.
T7. Texas Tech (+2000)
The third-seeded Red Raiders are led by exciting forward JT Toppin, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds in their second-round win over Drake.
T7. Michigan State (+2000)
Never count out the Spartans and coach Tom Izzo in the NCAA Tourney, especially when he has one of the deepest rosters in the country.
Looking for some March magic
9. Maryland (+3300)
Freshman forward Derik Queen may have provided the most iconic moment of the tournament so far with his running buzzer-beater against Colorado State. The Terps always seem to play close, nail-biting games. Perhaps that thrilling win will catapult them to greater heights.
10. Arizona (+4000)
Guard Caleb Love will face a familiar foe in Thursday’s matchup against Duke. The North Carolina transfer — who scored a game-high 29 points in a second-round win over Oregon — will take on the Blue Devils for the 10th time in his college career. Love memorably helped the Tar Heels take down Duke three years ago in the Final Four semifinals. Can he do it again on the big stage?
11. Kentucky (+5500)
Speaking of familar foes, the third-seeded Wildcats will take on Tennessee for the aforementioned third time this season. This time, Mark Pope’s squad will have a fully healthy point guard Lamont Butler. He missed the team’s first matchup of the season, then got hurt in the second.
T12. Purdue (+6600)
Matt Painter’s Boilermakers made it all the way to the national title game last year, so Caleb Furst, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Co. have the experience to get there again. Plus, they’ll have the advantage of playing their regional in Indianapolis, just under 70 miles from their campus in West Lafayette, Ind.
T12. Michigan (+6600)
The Wolverines’ twin towers of Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf create matchup problems for anyone.
T12. BYU (+6600)
The sixth-seeded Cougars have won 11 of their last 12 games and can shoot with anyone, particularly small forward Richie Saunders. If it’s a high-scoring game, they’ll have a chance.
The longest of long shots
15. Ole Miss (+8000)
The Rebels feature a balanced offensive attack and are coming off a 91-78 upset of third-seeded Iowa State. In his second season at Oxford, coach Chris Beard is looking to duplicate the Elite Eight run he made at Texas Tech in 2018.
16. Arkansas (+10000)
John Calipari’s 10th-seeded Razorbacks are the only remaining Cinderella in the field after stunning No. 2 St. John’s in the second round. They could be an even tougher opponent if they get leading scorer Adou Thiero back. He’s missed the last eight games with a hyperextended knee.
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