We are heading down the closing stretch leading us into March Madness for the college basketball season.
For some of you, this might be the first time you've started paying attention to college basketball now that football is over. To catch up on everything you've missed throughout the season, we discuss some of the biggest movers in odds to win the NCAA Tournament.
Let's get right to it.
Risers
Arizona Wildcats
People have questioned Arizona's legitimacy throughout the season, but there's nothing to question anymore. It ranks No. 3 in the nation in the AP Poll owns the third-shortest odds to win it all, according to PointsBet.
That is a far cry from where it started the season. With a new coach and a very young roster, the Wildcats opened the season with 50-1 odds to win the title and currently sit at +850 on PointsBet.
Auburn Tigers
Auburn and Arizona are the two legitimate national title contenders that nobody was talking about before the season.
If you paid attention to what Bruce Pearl brought in, however, it was clear the Tigers had the talent to compete. But nobody knew all of the transfers and the No. 3 recruit would gel this quickly.
The Tigers are currently the No. 2 team in the country in the AP Poll and are +800 to win it all. They opened the season at 60-1 on PointsBet.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Two of the three teams in the biggest risers had to replace a coach, which might be why people just didn't know what to expect.
Mark Adams has picked up right where Chris Beard left off with the Red Raiders — and may have even elevated the program. Adams was known as the defensive guru, and he's shown that already, as Texas Tech ranks No. 3 in the nation in defensive efficiency.
The Red Raiders opened the season at 50-1 and now find themselves at 30-1.
Fallers
Michigan Wolverines
Juwan Howard and the Wolverines began the season with the second-shortest odds to win it all at 10-1.
They played some terrible basketball through the first couple of months of the season and now find themselves all the way down to 80-1 to win the title at PointsBet.
Oddly enough, this might be the first time all year that Michigan has some value. ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has them in the "First Four Out," and if it can sneak in, it's the type of team that can get hot at the right time.
Memphis Tigers
Penny Hardaway, for better or for worse, is the king of hype. There was some reason for it, as he brought in the best recruiting class in the nation after winning the NIT last year. That's why the Tigers opened at 20-1 odds.
But boy, have they struggled for the majority of the season.
They currently have 200-1 odds to win the tournament. But Lunardi still thinks highly of them. Memphis is the first team out of the tournament in his current bracket.
Louisville Cardinals
This one is almost laughable. The Cardinals opened at 33-1 to win the national title at PointsBet. They have been an absolute mess and fired head coach Chris Mack in late January.
They currently sit at 500-1 to win the title.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The ACC is going to get picked on a little bit in the fallers section because it's been a major disappointment this season.
North Carolina is no Louisville; the Tar Heels are still likely a tournament team, but they've fallen quite a bit since opening at 30-1 to win it all.
They are currently 90-1 at PointsBet.
Maryland Terrapins
This is another team that has seen quite a bit of turmoil throughout the year. Head coach Mark Turgeon stepped down not even a month in the season, and the Terps continue to struggle in the Big Ten.
Maryland opened at 40-1 to win the title at PointsBet, but after a season in which it's gone 11-14 overall and 3-11 in the conference, it's 500-1 to win the title and a longshot to even make the tournament.
