The odds to win the 2018 NCAA Tournament have been released, and so far the consensus on the result from most sportsbooks is that the Villanova Wildcats will be the last team standing this April. While the Wildcats seem to be a shoo-in to make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond, history has shown college basketball fans that when it comes to March Madness, anything can happen.

Wide open field

Each year usually one or two teams stand out from the pack when it comes to making it to the Ncaa Tournament championship game. This year that is not the case. It can be easily argued that long shots like the Kansas Jayhawks (18/1) Cincinnati Bearcats (20/1), Kentucky Wildcats (25/1) and West Virginia Cavaliers (40/1) all have the talent and depth to win it all.

Kansas, Kentucky, and Cincinnati all won their conference tournaments over the past weekend, and they are doing what every coach hopes for - they are playing their best basketball in March. West Virginia is also playing at a very high level right now; they just happened to lose to a red-hot Kansas team in the Big 12 title game.

Wolverines no longer overlooked

Michigan basketball went through some rough times before John Beilein took over the reigns in 2007. While Beilein has built a winning tradition in Ann Arbor, this year seemed, well, a bit lost. The Wolverines struggled in January and surely didn’t have the look of a Big Ten champion. However, as the old saying goes, it is not how you start but how you finish, and Michigan seems to be peaking at the right time.

Once a 50/1 long shot back when the 2017-18 regular season began, Michigan is now mentioned among the top favorites to win the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

According to LandofTen.com, the Wolverines are currently listed at 10/1 odds to win the 2018 national title by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Those odds put Michigan with the fifth-best of any team in the March Madness Tournament.

The Wolverines are only behind the Villanova Wildcats (7/2), Duke Blue Devils (5/1), Virginia Cavaliers (6/1) and the Michigan State Spartans (10/1).

Here is a look at the top 16 teams favored to win the 2018 NCAA tournament, according to Jeff Sherman of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Let the madness begin!

  • Villanova 7/2
  • Duke 5/1
  • Virginia 6
  • Michigan State 6
  • Michigan 10
  • Purdue 12
  • Arizona 15
  • Kansas 18
  • North Carolina 18
  • Xavier 20
  • Cincinnati 20
  • Kentucky 25
  • Gonzaga 25
  • West Virginia 40
  • Texas Tech 40
  • Wichita St 40
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