Check out our best bets to win the 2022 March Madness tournament following the results of Selection Sunday.
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May 25, 2022Check out our best bets to win the 2022 March Madness tournament following the results of Selection Sunday.
With Selection Sunday 2022 now in the rear-view mirror, it's time to throw ourselves into betting on March Madness. Though this massive tournament is prone to surprises and demands you adjust your 2022 National Championship pick on the fly, there is some great value to be had when betting early on.
College basketball odds are always most lucrative at the start of March Madness. Our goal here is to maximize that window. We've compiled a list of our best bets to win the 2022 March Madness tournament, a field of options that includes Gonzaga, Baylor, UCLA and Memphis.
Before we get to our March Madness predictions, though, let's check out the latest odds to win the 2022 college basketball National Championship:
Pick to Win | ![]() |
---|---|
Gonzaga | +380 |
Arizona | +650 |
Kentucky | +750 |
Baylor | +1100 |
Duke | +1200 |
Kansas | +1300 |
Purdue | +1800 |
Auburn | +2000 |
Villanova | +2500 |
Texas Tech | +2500 |
UCLA | +2500 |
Tennessee | +3400 |
Iowa | +4000 |
Illionis | +4500 |
Arkansas | +5000 |
Houston | +5000 |
Texas | +6000 |
Connecticut | +6500 |
Wisconsin | +7000 |
Alabama | +8000 |
Ohio State | +10000 |
USC | +10000 |
Michigan State | +10000 |
Sain Marys CA | +10000 |
LSU | +10000 |
North Carolina | +12000 |
Providence | +12000 |
Memphis | +12000 |
Virginia Tech | +15000 |
Loyola Chicago | +15000 |
Murray State | +15000 |
Seton Hall | +16000 |
Colorado State | +16000 |
TCU | +18000 |
Boise State | +18000 |
Marquette | +18000 |
Michigan | +20000 |
Creighton | +20000 |
Notre Dame | +20000 |
San Diego State | +20000 |
Miami Florida | +20000 |
Iowa State | +20000 |
San Francisco | +20000 |
Wyoming | +20000 |
Oklahoma | +25000 |
Davidson | +25000 |
Virginia | +25000 |
Xavier | +25000 |
SMU | +25000 |
North Texas | +25000 |
Rutgers | +25000 |
Florida | +30000 |
BYU | +30000 |
VA Commonwealth | +30000 |
Indiana | +30000 |
Washington State | +40000 |
Dayton | +40000 |
Wake Forest | +40000 |
UAB | +40000 |
Texas A&M | +49000 |
Oregon | +50000 |
Cincinnati | +50000 |
Kansas State | +50000 |
Saint Louis | +50000 |
Make sure you're double-checking these odds on March Madness prior to settling on any picks. Betting lines to win the 2022 college basketball National Championship will change daily as teams get eliminated, and our odds are accurate entering Monday, March 14.
You should also use this opportunity to make the most of our reviews featuring the top online sportsbooks, which can help you spot the best 2022 March Madness betting sites. Just as an example, you can see in our review of the MyBookie sportsbook that they're currently offering users a free entry into their MyBracket tournament, which gives you a chance to parlay a zero-stakes wager into a share of $100,000 in cash prizes.
This is a no-brainer. Gonzaga (+380) should absolutely have the best National Championship odds.
Every advanced metric loves their offense—and then some. Drew Timme and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft Chet Holmgren are monsters at both ends of the floor. Gonzaga is also outscoring opponents by an average of 33 points per 100 possessions—the top mark in the country by a comically large margin.
No, we're not saying you have to pick Gonzaga to win it all. But they have to at least be one of your primary options.
Repeating as college basketball national champions is ridiculously difficult in the modern era. Teams aren't together for as long, since so many of the top prospects head to the NBA after just one year.
Make no mistake, though, Baylor (+1100) has real staying power. And they represent a bargain at 11-to-1.
Aside from spotty three-point shooting, this roster has no real major weakness. They spread the ball across all levels on offense, and they're getting a defensive performance for the ages from Matthew Mayer. If they can knock down even slightly more of their jumpers or free throws, they're a fringe favorite to win the whole dang thing.
Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez headline a UCLA (+2500) offense that everyone seems to love. And yet, we're drawn to their improving defense.
UCLA somewhat quietly finished 12th in points allowed per 100 possessions during the regular season. They do an excellent job defending the three-point line, and what they lack when it comes to crashing the glass and forcing turnovers, they make up for by getting back in transition and coaxing bad jump shooters into low percentage shots.
Emerging from a bracket that has both Kentucky (+750) and Baylor will be tough. But UCLA has the firepower to do it.
Very few bettors will consider laying their money on Memphis (+1200). That will ultimately be a mistake.
The Tigers came alive after a slow start to the season—on both sides of the court. Their offense continues to execute by committee, but it works quite well. They know how to balance ball-handling responsibilities, and their rotation is peppered with dangerous off-ball shooters.
Memphis finished 50th in points scored per 100 possessions during the regular season, but they have been something like 10th over the latter half of the season. With an uptick in three-point marksmanship and free-throw volume, there aren't many teams that do as well capitalizing on high percentage opportunities.
Don't sleep on Memphis' defense, either. They can get a little foul-happy, but they make excellent help rotations around the basket. Opponents are barely shooting 45 percent on all two-pointers against them and struggle mightily when goaded into mid-range jumpers.
Ending up in Gonzaga's bracket may ultimately be Memphis' death knell. But if anyone from the West region is going to beat the 2022 National Championship favorites, it isn't going to be Duke (+1200) or Texas Tech (+2500). It will be the Tigers.
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your 2022 March Madness betting: