- The Houston Cougars and Gonzaga Bulldogs are tied for the shortest March Madness odds at +1000.
- Houston opened with +1800 odds to win but their recruiting shortened their odds.
- Gonzaga opened at +1400 March Madness odds.
HOUSTON – Although college basketball is in the middle of the offseason, a shift in the March Madness odds has occurred. The Houston Cougars are now tied with the Gonzaga Bulldogs for the shortest odds at +1000.
2023 March Madness Odds
- Houston +1000
- Gonzaga +1000
- North Carolina +1100
- Duke +1200
- Kentucky +1200
- Kansas +1200
- Arkansas +1400
- Baylor +1500
- UCLA +1600
- Arizona +2000
The Cougars Jump
At first opening, both teams opened with longer odds than where they are right now. Gonzaga opened at +1400 from online sportsbooks while Houston was a bit further back at +1800. Looking back to last season, at their peak, Houston was the number 6 ranked team in the nation, however, many were quick to overlook them going into March Madness due to significant injuries.
- Houston Injuries
- Marcus Sasser (17.7 ppg)
- Tramon Mark (10.1 ppg)
Neither Sasser nor Mark played a minute in the NCAA tournament.
Regardless, the Cougars were able to go on to the Elite 8 where they eventually lost.
Fast track to the 2023 season, the Cougars are returning both Sasser and Mark and have also been busy with recruiting. They have a top-30 class in the nation including 5-star, Jarace Walker, and 4-star Terrance Arceneaux.
Expect the Houston Cougars March Madness odds to shorten even more before the season and during the season as well.
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Is Gonzaga Overrated?
Year after year Gonzaga finds themselves as the number 1 ranked team in the country and have been in five of the last six seasons. They’ve also been the number 1 seed in March Madness in four of the last five tournaments.
However, they’ve only made it to the championship game once in the last five tournaments and have lost in or before the Elite 8 in the other four.
Despite this, oddsmakers continue to praise Gonzaga in the preseason college basketball odds, having opened under +1000 two times and in the +1000 range twice as well.
After losing their highest-rated recruit in school history, Chet Holmgren, to the NBA, they have not much for their recruiting class, with no 5- or 4-star recruits committed.
Samuel decided to get into writing 6 years ago when he first started his college career at Florida State University. After declaring a major in Editing, Writing and Media, Samuel had found his passion for writing. During his free time, he could be found writing about, watching or playing sports.
