College basketball officially tips off on Tuesday, highlighted by Duke against Kentucky, but oddsmakers and bettors will get an early look at a couple championship liabilities.
Gonzaga and Tennessee will begin their respective seasons on Tuesday as well, with the No. 1 Bulldogs hosting Dixie State and the Volunteers welcoming UT-Martin. Those two schools, along with Michigan, represent some of the teams with the most betting interest this season at BetMGM.
Gonzaga is the betting favorite at +600, and that's not low enough to scare anyone away. With over 23% of the money, Gonzaga has taken more handle than any other team in the nation with Kansas (+1400) second with 9.6% of handle. Key returners Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard are joined by No. 1 freshman Chet Holmgren after last season's runner-up performance.
Despite the short odds, the money adds up to making the Bulldogs the biggest liability to win the title.
No team has taken more bets than Michigan. Juwan Howard's team opens at No. 6 in the rankings but tied with UCLA and Villanova for the second-shortest title odds at BetMGM at +1200. Hunter Dickinson returns as a Player of the Year candidate along with Eli Brooks in hopes of improving on last year's run to the Elite 8.
Tennessee is the longshot on the board receiving the most action. At +4000, there are enough bets coming in on the Vols to make them the third-largest liability at BetMGM. If they make a run, bettors are hoping it's due to the play of Santiago Vescovi. At 200-1, Vescovi is the third-biggest liability to win college basketball's Wooden Award this season.
