Odds to Earn a #1 Seed in NCAA Tournament Favor Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Villanova

• Gonzaga and Baylor are co-favorites to get the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament next month
• Gonzaga has won 17 consecutive games by double digits and Baylor has trailed for less than 47 minutes all season
• A look at the odds for the No. 1 seed along with analysis can be found below

Selection Sunday is a month away and, not surprisingly, Gonzaga and Baylor have been installed as co-favorites to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The date for Selection Sunday is March 14 when the NCAA will set the 68-team field. Four days later, the tourney will begin and be played entirely in Indiana and Gonzaga is favored to win it.

The NCAA hopes that by holding the tournament in one area it can create a bubble-type environment and limit the possibility of players and coaches contracting COVID-19.

No. 1 Overall Seed in NCAA Tourney Odds

Odds taken Feb. 12

Two at the Top

Gonzaga and Baylor have been atop both the AP and USA Today polls for the entire season in some form as either No. 1 or No. 2.

POLL ALERT: Gonzaga, Baylor top latest AP Top 25, Houston climbs to No. 5 and Oklahoma and Ohio State jump into the top 10; Drake joins poll at No. 25.

Full poll >> https://t.co/1cWzBHiYRA

More coverage >> https://t.co/OH0FkolNtF pic.twitter.com/F4syKWQgA7

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) February 1, 2021

They are the last undefeated teams in the nation. Gonzaga is 20-0 and Baylor is 17-0.

When the tournament selection committee released its initial poll on Saturday, Gonzaga was No. 1 and Baylor was No. 2 The projected No. 1 seeds in the other two regions were No. 3 Michigan (14-1) and No. 4 Ohio State (17-4).

Michigan and Ohio State are set to meet next Sunday in Columbus.

The Case for Gonzaga

As usual, Gonzaga coach Mark Few put together a difficult non-conference schedule. The Bulldogs notched wins over such quality opponents as Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa and Virginia in November and December.

KenPom has sophomore forward Drew Timme ranked as the second-best player in the nation behind Iowa’s Luka Garza. Freshman guard Jalen Suggs is No. 6.

This is an insanely impressive post move from Drew Timme. Don't see many sophomore bigs making this type of move. pic.twitter.com/Z1FuXjHAeK

— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) November 27, 2020

Gonzaga has been rolling through West Coast Conference. Out of a total of 400 minutes in 10 WCC games, the Bulldogs have trailed for just 45:48.

Furthermore, Gonzaga has won 17 straight games by double digits. The last team ranked No. 1 in the AP poll to have a streak that long was UNLV, with 19 in a row in 1990-91.

Offensively, Gonzaga leads the nation with 93.0 points a game and 55.1% shooting from the field.

The Case for Baylor

Baylor is off to its best start since also winning its first 17 games in the 2011-12 season. The Bears have trailed for just under 47 of its 680 minutes played this season.

Junior guard Jared Butler is rated as the No. 3 player in the country by Ke Pom. He is one of four Baylor players scoring in double figures.

Jared Butler is arguably the best guard in college basketball ‼️

The guard leads an undefeated Baylor squad averaging 17 points and 5.2 assists per game @J_Hooper11 pic.twitter.com/nL4m6Xo1Tb

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) February 9, 2021

Baylor has beaten four teams who were ranked in the AP’s top 15 when they met – Illinois, Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas.

Baylor also leads the nation with 24.2-average scoring margin and a 43.9% clip on 3-point attempts. The Bears are third in scoring with an 87.0 average.

Value Bets Scarce

Gonzaga has the inside track on being the top seed as it is in position to win out in the WCC regular season and conference tournament. That makes the Bulldogs the clear best bet.

However, there is little value in betting on the Zags at their current odds. The same goes for Baylor.

While Michigan impressively beat Wisconsin 67-59 on the road Sunday following a three-week layoff because of coronavirus issues, the Wolverines also do not offer value at their price.

Comeback complete.

Livers: 20P, 7R, 4 3-pointers
Dickinson: 15R, 11P, 5B
Wagner: 14P
Smith: 6P, 6A, 2S
Brooks: 9P, 4A, 2R, 2S#GoBlue 〽️🏀 pic.twitter.com/EVh1M0NlUJ

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 14, 2021

If you feel absolutely compelled to make a play on this prop, Illinois would be worth a small wager at +700. Led by the duo of guard Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, the Fighting Illini can beat anyone.

While Illinois’ record is not glittering at 14-5, it is in second place in the Big Ten behind Michigan. Winning the regular season title in such a strong conference would impress the committee.

Illinois would need both Gonzaga and Baylor to lose, of course, and that appears unlikely.