The UConn Huskies Remain Outright Favorites After Kicking Off Their National Title Defense This Week
By Space Coast Daily // March 26, 2024
The NCAA Tournament is now underway, having kicked off on Thursday. Also known as March Madness because of the many upsets it presents every year, the tournament has already seen one such result: Kentucky has been booted out in the first round after a loss to Oakland.
Still, most reckon that there will only be a certain outcome as the UConn Huskies are favored to repeat last year’s feat and become the first repeat champions since the Florida Gators won in 2006 and 2007.
UConn walked away from the tournament as champions last year after blowing San Diego State out 76-59 in the final. They entered as the favorites to win again, with odds of +400 attached but have since seen their odds tighten to +240 after beating the Stetson Hatters 91-52 on Friday.
The Huskies were immediately branded the favorites when the odds opened right after they won on April 3 last year, with sportsbooks placing +1100 odds on their chances. They’ve since gone on to win the Big East by four games, with an 18-2 record, while also heading into March Madness with just three losses.
They made easy work of Marquette in the Big East Tournament, winning 73-57 in Saturday’s championship game.
Guard Tristen Newton leads the team in scoring, rebounds, and assists per game, averaging 15.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 6.0 APG. Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban, and Donovan Clingan also average over 12 points per contest this season.
Houston, Purdue, Arizona, Iowa State, Tennessee, and North Carolina are next up on the odds chart and there will be added excitement where the latter is concerned as betting has just been legalized in the Tar Heel State. This also means that NC sports betting promos will be available for most if not the entirety of the competition.
The Cougars won the Big 12 regular season with a 15-3 record but lost to Iowa State in the championship game on Saturday, having gone on a winning streak since losing to the Cyclones on January 9.
The Boilermakers lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year and responded by winning the Big Ten by three games over Illinois with a 17-3 record. They beat Grambling State 78-50 on Friday.
Meanwhile, Arizona went 26-8 overall and 15-5 in the Pac-12 during the regular season. They’ve started their March Madness campaign with a blowout 85-65 win over Long Beach State On Thursday.
As mentioned above, the Cyclones beat Houston in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday. They’ve since followed that up with an 82-65 win over South Dakota State in the first round.
Tennessee won the SEC regular season title in one of the nation’s toughest conferences, with the SEC boasting five top-20 teams. However, they lost 73-56 to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament.
They’ve gotten off to a flying start with an 83-49 win over St. Peters and will hope to make it to the Final Four for the first time in program history. They will need to get past Texas on Saturday first, however.
UConn, though, has little opposition where predictions are concerned.
The program’s dominance in women’s basketball is well known, but the men’s team is also a force to be reckoned with. With four NCAA championships in the last two decades, the Huskies have established themselves as one of the premier sides in college basketball.
Their consistent success is largely due to the leadership of head coach Dan Hurley, who has been at the helm since 2018. Under his guidance, the Huskies have steadily improved, culminating in this year’s impressive record and position as one of the favorites to win it all.
The team’s formidable defense and balanced offense make them a tough matchup for any opponent, and they have shown the ability to win close games when it matters most.
While they aren’t expected to have much difficulty returning to the final, the NCAA Tournament has proven time and time again that games are not won on paper. It will be an interesting competition with the results remaining to be seen. However, the Huskies are the undeniable favorites for now.
