They may be a top seed, they may have just defeated the team believed to be the favorite to win it all and they even may have the hottest player in all of college basketball.
But in the eyes of those who set the odds for this year’s Final Four, the Jayhawks are no better than the third most likely team to cut down the nets in San Antonio.
According to online casino, Bovada.lv, which offers and sends out betting odds for all sports on a regular basis, the Jayhawks are a 13/4 favorite to win this year’s national title, behind top-seeded Villanova, which is listed at even money (1/1) and No. 3 seed Michigan, which ranks second at 5/2.
While KU and Michigan are separated by percentage points (Michigan is a 2.5/1 favorite and KU 3.25/1) 11-seed cinderella Loyola Chicago is the heavy underdog of the bunch, coming in at 9/1 on Bovada’s initial numbers.
It’s worth pointing out that Kansas likely sits behind Michigan overall because it has a tougher road than the Wolverines. Odds makers deem a Final Four matchup with Villanova as a much bigger obstacle to winning it all than a Final Four matchup with Loyola, so the Wolverines slide ever so slightly in front of KU. For now.
The initial list, which includes odds on every potential matchup and point spreads for Saturday’s Final Four games — Villanova is a 5-point favorite over Kansas and Michigan a 5-point favorite over Loyola — actually has better odds on Kansas beating Michigan (11/2) than it does on Michigan beating Kansas (6/1). It’s just that, right now, with those two teams having different roads to get there, the Wolverines get the slight edge.
If KU beats Villanova and Michigan beats Loyola, it’s a safe guess that Kansas would open as a tiny favorite over Michigan.
Time will tell how much these numbers change, once the money starts pouring in. And we’ll keep an eye on it throughout the week.
But here’s a quick glance at those initial numbers from Bovada.
