Future Betting by

Six wins! That’s the path from the Round of 64 to celebrating a national championship. For the William Hill bettors who have placed a college basketball championship futures wager, the countdown is on to reach that magic number of six and cash in that ticket.

Gonzaga was atop the board at William Hill at +700 when the season began on Nov. 25, and the Bulldogs have held onto the pole position ahead of March Madness. Gonzaga is the +210 favorite after being listed at +220 on Selection Sunday. The shortest title odds Gonzaga had all season was +180 back in January.

Selection Sunday was the first time all season that Baylor did not have the second-lowest title odds. Illinois leapfrogged past the Bears, and now sits at +400. Before the bracket was unveiled, Baylor (+450) was slightly ahead of both Illinois (+500) and Michigan (+500).

Meanwhile, Baylor currently is at +500 and Michigan is close behind at +600. Baylor and Michigan were tied for the second-lowest title odds at +350 at the start of March, however the Wolverines never surpassed the Bears before their odds rose again.

There’s also a team that has separated itself from the pack behind the four No. 1 seeds. Houston, Iowa and Ohio State were all tied for the fifth-lowest odds at 15/1 ahead of the bracket release. Now Houston stands alone at 13/1, whereas Iowa is at 18/1 with Alabama (who swung over slightly from 20/1) and Ohio State is nearby at 20/1.

(50/1 to 40/1), UConn (75/1 to 60/1), San Diego State (100/1 to 75/1) and Georgetown (200/1 to 100/1). On the other hand, teams that saw their odds drift include Texas (22/1 to 30/1), Kansas (35/1 to 45/1), Oregon (60/1 to 100/1) and Georgia Tech (60/1 to 125/1).

“Of teams that can win it, Michigan is our biggest liability,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “UConn, San Diego State, BYU, they’re all six-figure losers. But overall, I’m pretty happy with our position.”

Gonzaga leads the way in both total number of tickets (10%) and total dollars wagered (20%), highlighted by one New Jersey bettor putting down $15,000 on Gonzaga +800 for a total potential payout of $135,000. Iowa (8%) only trails Gonzaga in total number of tickets, with Illinois (7%), Michigan (7%) and Baylor (6%) all in range as well. Those teams also make up the top-5 in total dollars wagered, with Michigan ranking second in this category at 14%, followed by Baylor (11%), Illinois (7%) and Iowa (5%). One Illinois bettor laid $30,000 on Michigan +800, and then placed another $30,000 on Michigan +550 a couple days later. If the Wolverines were to win their first national title since 1989, the total payout on those wagers would be $465,000.

Among the noteworthy futures bets on long shots, a Nevada bettor put $1,500 on North Carolina back when the Tar Heels were at 200/1 for a total potential payout of $301,500. North Carolina now resides at 75/1 ahead of its opening matchup against Wisconsin. Other notable total potential payouts on futures bets at William Hill are $500 on BYU 600/1 ($300,500 total potential payout), $3,000 on UConn 85/1 ($258,000 total potential payout), two $100 bets on Georgetown 2500/1 ($250,100 total potential payouts each) and $1,000 on USC 200/1 ($201,000 total potential payout). Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey Use Promo Code SPORTSBETRF

Only in Covid times. The NCAA Tournament may be returning after last year's cancelation due to the coronavirus pandemic, but for the first time since 1976, Duke and Kentucky won't be a part of it. After a very challenging season for both powerhouse programs, the selection committee opted against calling either the Blue Devils or Wildcats' names on Sunday.

Duke, which began the year ranked as the No. 9 team, saw the streak of 24 consecutive tournament appearances under Mike Krzyzewski come to an end. Only Kansas and North Carolina currently hold a longer run in March Madness appearances.

There was brief buzz about the Blue Devils being a potential bubble team, but that ended with their abrupt departure from the ACC tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test following a win over Louisville. Without a deep run to strengthen their resume, Duke's 13-11 record simply wasn't enough for inclusion.

There was no drama as to whether Kentucky was going to make the NCAA field this year, with the Wildcats' failure to win the SEC tournament ending their chances. John Calipari had never experienced a losing record in 11 seasons in Lexington, but a 9-16 campaign in 2020-21 sent the program to a new low under his watch.

Kentucky lost nearly its entire production from last season and didn't get the production out of their prized freshman class this time around. But given Calipari's recruiting prowess, it likely won't be a long-term drop for the Wildcats.

After winning the Big Ten Tournament championship this weekend, University of Illinois player Ayo Dosunmu paid tribute to NBA star Kobe Bryant by recreating an iconic photo of the late athlete. On Sunday night, the Fighting Illini beat Ohio State 91-88 in overtime to win the Big Ten Tournament and will now move on to face Drexel in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Dosunmu, a 21-year-old native of Chicago is Illinois’ star player, and is widely credited with rejuvenating the school’s men’s basketball program.

“It was crazy, thinking about all the things we’ve accomplished and knowing how I came on my visit with coach [Brad] Underwood and I told him these are the things we can accomplish,” Dosunmu said after being named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

“So to get up there, cut that net down and see that No. 1 seed come up there, it’s just an unreal feeling.”

After the game, Dosunmu sat in a corner with the team’s championship trophy and posed for a picture he uploaded to Instagram. He included a second picture showing Bryant in a similar pose after winning the 2001 NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. In his caption, Dosunmu wrote “job’s not finished,” a quote Bryant famously said in response to a reporter who asked why he wasn’t happy with the 2-0 lead the Lakers had heading into Game 3 of the 2009 NBA Finals.

The quote from Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, would become a rallying cry for the Lakers last year when the team, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis reached the 2020 NBA Finals. They eventually beat the Eastern Conference Champions, the Miami Heat, to claim the franchise’s 17th NBA title. It was their first championship since Bryant last won in 2010.