Preseason NCAA Basketball Futures Picks

Check out the 2020-21 season betting picks. Who will win the College Basketball National Championship this time?

After the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled — a first in college history — the 2021 season is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, November 25. Assuming the year is played in full, who will cut down the nets come March Madness time? We dive deep into that topic in this article, looking at the prime schools you should have some money on right now.

With days until the season begins, everyone has their own preseason NCAA Basketball futures picks, including online oddsmakers. At the current moment, these teams are pegged with the best chance to win it all come March Madness:

Odds To Win 2021 NCAA National Title
Kentucky	+950	+1400
Iowa	+1000	+1000
Gonzaga	+1000	+900
Baylor	+1200	+1200
Duke	+1600	+1800
Villanova	+800	+1000

As you can tell, bookmakers vary in their opinion. A lot. Expect this to continue throughout the year, as future odds swing wildly in all directions based on results and injuries.

Outside of betting lines, sites like MyBookie and BetOnline are also offering sign-up bonuses at the moment, each worth up to $1000 in free play. The award is earned upon sign-up and depositing money into your own account. Really, it's that easy!

A grand in free money goes a long way, not only when making NCAAB futures picks, but also game-to-game picks. It would be smart of you to use these killer promotions to bankroll your college basketball betting for the entire season!

Moving on to our March Madness 2021 picks, we're going to break this up into a few categories based on your preference — if you need a favorite, an underdog, or a team that's a little bit of both. Let's get started:

The Favorite Among The Favorites

Atop the college basketball food chain on an almost yearly basis are a select few schools — namely Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova. We call these programs "blue bloods" and 2021 is no different with all of them, sans the Tar Heels, as viable contenders again.

If you had to choose only one of them to lay a futures bet on, who is it this season? For us, the pick is Villanova, a team seeking its third championship in the past six years.

A season ago, the Wildcats finished tied for tops in the Big East at 24-7. The team returns that entire roster except for two players — its leading scorer Saddiq Bey (who was just drafted first round in the NBA) and Tim Saunders (who appeared in just two games last year). While Bey's loss is a big one, this roster is otherwise stacked and experienced.

If there's something we've learned as of late, especially courtesy of Villanova themselves, the experience still matters come March Madness time. Schools laden with one-and-done haven't fared well in recent memory. The Wildcats' experience, plus coach Jay Wright's poise, should have this team in the championship picture all-season long.

Betting pick to make: Villanova (+800)

The Darkhorse Program

All eyes are seemingly on Iowa in the Big 10. However, a program we think could surprise people this season and make noise in the postseason is none other than Illinois.

We get it, the Fighting Illini haven't made the March Madness tournament since way back in 2013. And betting sites like BetOnline are giving them a meager +2000 chance at winning it all. But hear us out!

Illinois was really starting to turn the corner a year ago in Brad Underwood's third season as head coach. They spent an entire month ranked, reaching as high as No. 18. Undoubtedly, they were on their way to an NCAA tourney berth as a relatively high seed before its cancellation.

Heading into 2021, the core of its team remains intact in Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmi. Both were the team's top two scorers a year ago and the two initially declared for the NBA Draft before deciding to return to the Illini. Progress should be expected for the duo, which will spearhead Illinois into title contention.

Betting pick to make: Illinois (+2000)

The Team That Finally Gets Over The Hump

What if you don't want to bet on a proverbial favorite like Villanova? What if a team like Illinois is too under the radar for your dollar? Is there a team that's sort of in the middle and worthy of betting action?

Yes, in fact, this category is tailor-made for one all-too-familiar program — Gonzaga. Here's a school that's been in the NCAA Tournament every year this century. Here's a team that's advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen 16 the past five years. Here's a team that's regularly an offensive juggernaut.

But as always with Gonzaga, the question remains: is this the year the Bulldogs finally "get over the hump?" Well, one thing is for certain: few teams across the nation will be more talented or better coached than the Zags.

That reason alone is why it would be smart to throw some money the Bulldogs way. Mark Few will maximize a roster that includes an All-American caliber player (Corey Kispert) and a top-10 freshman recruit (Jalen Suggs).

Betting pick to make: Gonzaga (+900)

Alright, that covers it for us. We just gave you three programs that have a real shot of running the table from now until March. Whether you follow our advice or not is on you from here on out.

If you want to lock in an NCAAB 2021 championship pick, visit any one of the online sportsbooks below. Beyond futures, they'll also have betting lines for conference championships, season-opening games, and a whole lot more!