2010-11 College Basketball Odds to Win Favor Duke and Purdue

Defending National Champion Duke and the Purdue Boilermakers have opened as co-betting favorites in college basketball odds to win the 2010-11 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship. Duke had been down and out as a top tier national title contender until last year when they roared back to dominance. The Blue Devils are always a name brand team that attracts plenty of public attention and following and with their return to elite status will only serve to bring additional dollars flowing their way. Duke has opened at +450 in college basketball odds to win the NCAA championship at online sportsbooks.

Purdue was poised to be a Final Four contender last year before injuries did them in after they won the Big Ten regular season title. They were eliminated by Duke in the Sweet Sixteen round but have nearly all of their key components returning and should be among the top choices this autumn. The Boilermakers have opened at +450 as favorites in college basketball odds for the 2010-11 season. Kentucky was a +700 choice at online sportsbooks and will likely drop down as the public cannot resist a team loaded with “one and done” NBA material along with coach John Calipari. Kansas has opened at +1500 and is coming off a shocking loss to Northern Iowa in the “Big Dance” last year after being made a prohibitive favorite to make the Final Four.

With coach Bill Self in charge the Jayhawks are always a solid bet to contend for the title. North Carolina suffered a big fall last season as they had to settle for the NIT rather than the NCAA Tournament. Coach Roy Williams’ Tar Heels opened at +1600 as they face skepticism from the public. UCLA could make for a nice value play as a beaten favorite at +3000. The Bruins suffered an uncharacteristically bad season in which they finished under the .500 mark. With Ben Howland in control and with last year’s young team having been seasoned with experience the Bruins may offer board value that is normally not associated with them.