Can North Carolina Repeat In 2018? Duke, Kentucky, Louisville Favored To Win National Championship

North Carolina solidified themselves as the best team in college basketball Monday night, defeating Gonzaga in the national championship game. The Tar Heels are expected to be among the top contenders in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, though they aren’t favored to repeat.

Immediately following North Carolina’s title win, three teams were named as the favorites to win the national championship next year. Kentucky, Duke and Louisville were given 10/1 championship betting odds by the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.

Things could change when players enter the 2017 NBA Draft, but it’s hard to believe that those teams won’t be among the best teams in the sport. None of them reached this year’s Final Four, though they were all No.2 seeds and are led by three of the country’s top coaches.

John Calipari is the nation’s best recruiter, and four of ESPN’s top 23 recruits for next year are committed to Kentucky, looking to make up for the loss of the NBA-bound Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. Duke has two top 10 recruits, and Louisville has a top-10 recruiting class heading into next year.

The Tar Heels are just out of the top three because they’ll be losing some key players. ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson is likely headed to the NBA, and leading rebounder Kennedy Meeks is out of eligibility. However, guard Joel Berry II should be returning, and North Carolina has been a No.1 seed in three of the last six years.

With their loss to North Carolina, Gonzaga advanced further in March Madness than it ever had in school history. Even though they’ll be losing key players like Przemek Parnowski and Jordan Matthews, the Bulldogs are given the same chance to win the title as the Tar Heels with 12/1 odds.

Villanova and Kansas also have 12/1 odds. They were the two No.1 seeds that failed to reach the Final Four. Villanova was upset in the second round after winning the 2016 national championship, and Kansas lost in the Elite Eight when they were favored to win it all.

Arizona has 15/1 championship odds for 2018, and Michigan has 20/1 odds, even though they were a No.7 seed in the tournament. The Wolverines played well at the end of the season, winning the Big Ten Championship and upsetting Louisville in the Round of 32.

Indiana has the best title odds of any team that didn’t reach the NCAA Tournament. Archie Miller is entering his first year as the Hoosiers’ head coach, leaving Dayton to take over for the recently fired Tom Crean. Indiana hasn’t advanced beyond the Sweet 16 since 2002.

Thirty-five teams have better than 100/1 odds to win the 2018 title. That includes the likes of Notre Dame and Wisconsin, who have 80/1 odds.