Opening Odds to Make 2021 Final Four Favor Gonzaga, Villanova, Virginia & Baylor

• Gonzaga has opened with the shortest odds to make the Final Four in 2021
• Kentucky has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. The last time that happened, they made it to the Final Four
• Could there be value with Wisconsin, which finished last season on an eight-game winning streak?

Although there is some trepidation as to when the 2020-21 college basketball season will start and how it will look when it does, the odds to make the Final Four have opened up. Let’s hope that, by the fall, we are getting back to normal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have the shortest odds on the board to make the 2021 Final Four but are they the right play? There could be some value on the board betting some of the longshots.

2020-21 Odds To Make Final Four

Odds as of Apr. 17th.

Gonzaga Is On The Short List

The Bulldogs have the shortest odds on the board and that’s not much of a surprise. When the 2019-20 season ended, they were the No. 2 team in the Associated Press Top 25, were 31-2, and were heading towards a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Taking a look ahead to next season, this team has some NBA Draft concerns. Highly-rated recruit Jalen Suggs could opt to go pro (overseas) and so could Filip Petrusev, who emerged as a key impact player. At the same time, both could return and they would join Corey Kispert, Anton Watson, Drew Timmi and Joel Ayayi.

Gonzaga officially signs 5-star recruit Jalen Suggs, per a team release.

Mark Few: We are very excited to have Jalen join the program. He has a really bright future, and I look forward to working with him. It has been great getting to know his family through the process.

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) April 15, 2020

At the end of the day, conference play will be a breeze for this team and they should notch 30 wins again. A top seed will help them last longer in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky Offers Value

Taking a look at these odds, I’m cross-referencing my own power rankings versus where teams are in the odds. I have Kentucky as a top-three team but the odds have them tied for fifth here.

John Calipari adds another transfer as Rhode Island freshman Jacob Toppin, younger brother of Obi Toppin, has committed to Kentucky. The 6'7" 185 lb. forward averaged 5 PPG and 4 RPG in his freshman season with the Rams. He was 13-of-53 from 3-point range last season. pic.twitter.com/tJ9Kj9H94U

— Bradley Charles (@BCharlesBSN) April 16, 2020

Sure, the team lost Tyrese Maxey to the NBA Draft but that was expected. What’s incoming is what you should notice. Kentucky coach John Calipari will be welcoming the top recruiting class in the nation. The last time he did that, the team didn’t lose a single game until the Final Four.

He has three guards ranked in the top 25 joining the program in Terrence Clark, Brandon Boston Jr, and Devin Askew. I like their chances here at +250. I also like their 2021 NCAA Tournament odds to win it all at +1400.

Wisconsin Badgers Have Momentum

One of the longer shots that I like is Wisconsin. Although at +300, it doesn’t feel like they’re a “longshot”, I see some value here as they’re tied for eighth in line in terms of the odds.

I could not possibly be more proud of a Greg Gard’s Wisconsin Badgers. Say it with me: BIG TEN CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/0IWH4fLaNR

— Doug Russell (@DougRussell) March 7, 2020

The Badgers finished the year red-hot, winning their final eight games to capture a share of the regular-season Big Ten title. They had just one senior – Brevin Pritzl, who only averaged 8.0 PPG – so they return much of their cast intact. Beyond that, they’ll add a couple of good recruits in Ben Carlson and Johnny Davis.

I was really impressed by how Greg Gard guided this team down the stretch of the season and, while the Big Ten is a gauntlet, this is one of the better teams in the stacked conference going into next season. At +300, I like them as a small flier to make the Final Four.