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It’s all chance again at the top of both the AP rankings and the betting in men’s college basketball. The new rankings released on Monday show Arizona has risen to the top of the poll, replacing the Purdue Boilermakers, who have dropped to four. And as you’re about to see in our NCAA basketball futures, Purdue has also been replaced at the top of the betting to win the 2024 Championship by the Arizona Wildcats.
- Arizona is the new favorite to win the 2024 NCAA Basketball competition. BetOnline makes the Wildcats +1100
- The Wildcats replace Purdue, with the Boilermakers now at +1200 second-favorite to win the NCAA Basketball Championship for the first time in their history
- Also gaining ground in the latest betting is the defending champions, UConn. The Huskies are up to third in the betting at +1400
The 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament starts on March 19th, with the final on Monday, April 8th
Boilermakers bumped off top spot after just one week
Last week there were plenty of shocks and surprises in men’s college basketball. The Purdue Boilermakers were one of the main victims. They began the week unbeaten, in top position, and as the betting favorites. But after losing 92-88 after overtime against Northwestern, Purdue has not just lost the top spot but has slumped to No.4 on the latest AP poll.
🚨 NEW AP POLL!
1. Arizona
2. Kansas
3. Houston
4. Purdue
5. UConn
6. Baylor
7. Gonzaga
8. Marquette
9. North Carolina
10. Creighton— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 4, 2023
The Boilermakers can console themselves with the fact that the bookmakers haven’t demoted them to fourth in the betting. At least the bookies and the punters still seem to think the Boilermakers have a good chance of winning the championship this season.
What might be more alarming for Matt Painter is that his team rebounded Northwestern 52-27 and still lost. That is the first time in history that the Boilermakers have rebounded a team by 25 or more and gone on to lose the match.
But as Purdue has just found out, it’s one thing gaining the top spot, and a different one staying there. Now it’s the Arizona Wildcats who are the team in possession, and who all of a sudden, now have a bigger target on their back than they did the previous week.
Betting to win the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
In the latest betting to win the NCAA Men’s Championship, the best college basketball betting sites have made the Arizona Wildcats the favorite at +1100. The Wildcats have taken over as favorites from the Purdue Boilermakers, who have seen their odds drift from +1100 to +1200.
Also on the move in the betting is the UConn Huskies, who are now at +1400, along with Marquette. Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles team saw their AP Ranking plunge from three to eight on Monday. This after they lost 75-64 to Wisconsin last weekend. Their second defeat of the season.
Next in the betting is the pre-season +1000 favorites, the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas is now at +1600, the same price as Kentucky and Houston. Despite dropping down the betting, the Jayhawks are back up to No.2 in the rankings. Kentucky is down to No.16. But Houston is headed in the opposition direction. They are up three places to No.3.
More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAA betting sites.
| 2024 Men's NCAAB Championship Winner |  |  |  |
| Arizona | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Purdue | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| UConn | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Marquette | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Kansas | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Kentucky | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Houston | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Creighton | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Duke | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Baylor | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Tennessee | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Alabama | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Michigan State | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Gonzaga | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| North Carolina | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
Can Arizona keep the top spot?
The Boilermakers got bombed off the top spot after just one week. Can Arizona do any better? If they are to stay on top, the first thing they will need to do is defeat the Wisconsin Badgers at the McKale Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers will come into this match full of optimism, having just broken into the top 25 following that win over Maquette last weekend. They have moved up three places in this week’s poll and now sit in 23rd position.
But Arizona is 7-0 this season. And the match is at home, where they have won five times already this season, scoring 100 or more points in three of those victories.
Sterner tests to come for Arizona
Arizona will face sterner tests this season, that’s for sure. Apart from their win over Michigan State at the Acrisure Stadium (74-68), their only other challenging match was away at the Duke Blue Devils. That was the Wildcats’ second fixture of the season and one which they won 78-73.
Those are the matches that will define their campaign. But for now, they can only beat who is put in front of them. And what also makes their next match against the Wisconsin Badgers important is the performance and the scoreline. If holding onto the No.1 ranking is important, the Wildcats will need to produce a statement win, not a scrappy one.
And it should be important to the Wildcats to hold onto the top spot. Maintaining top ranking will breed confidence. So Arizona would be well advised to keep pressing on the throttle when their game against Wisconsin tips off on Saturday. Otherwise, they might find themselves replaced in the No.1 spot after just one week.
Our Picks to win the 2024 NCAA Men’s Championship
It’s hard to make a call this far out. But one thing we’ve always recommended doing is hedging bets. At the moment, the Kansas Jayhawks are out at +1600. They were +1000 just two to three weeks ago, and they may well be again soon if they produce a couple of good performances in the coming days. Back the Jayhawks to hedge later in the season.
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