NCAA Tournament Bracket 2019: Early Championship Odds, Predictions For Top Seeds

Three of the four No. 1 seeds enter the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament with the best odds to win the championship. 

Duke carries the tag of title favorite into the Big Dance, while Gonzaga and Virginia are directly behind the Blue Devils on the odds chart. 

It is a bit surprising to see North Carolina buried behind a pair of No. 2 seeds on the list of championship odds since the Tar Heels have had plenty of NCAA tournament success in recent years. 

Each of the four No. 1 seeds has favorable draws to get into the second weekend of the competition, but as we saw with Virginia a year ago, backing up the favorite tag isn't always easy. 

2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Championship Odds

Odds via OddsChecker

Duke (+200; Bet $100 to win $200) 

Gonzaga (+850) 

Virginia (+1100) 

Kentucky (+1400) 

Michigan (+1400) 

Tennessee (+1600) 

Michigan State (+1800) 

North Carolina (+1800) 

Predictions for Top Seeds

All Four No. 1 Seeds Advance to Sweet 16

No. 1 seeds typically face the easiest path to the Sweet 16, as they're only expected to play one truly competitive game during the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. 

However, in each of the last two years, only three of the four top seeds made it through to the Sweet 16, with Virginia falling to UMBC in the first round in 2018 and Villanova dropping a second-round result to Wisconsin in 2017. 

Given the quality of the quartet of top seeds entering the 2019 NCAA tournament, we have faith in Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and Gonzaga to make it through to the Sweet 16. 

If that occurs, it would mark the second time in the last six years that each of the No. 1 seeds advanced into the second weekend of the competition. 

Duke has already been written in permanent marker through to the Sweet 16 at minimum, as it will be a crowd favorite to cruise into the Final Four behind Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. 

Gonzaga should have enough offensive firepower to get through its first two games in Salt Lake City, but the Bulldogs need to be wary of the challenges Syracuse's zone defense brings to the hardwood. 

John Locher/Associated Press

As long as Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke and Co. use their length and athleticism to their advantage, Mark Few's side will secure a spot in the Sweet 16. 

North Carolina might be susceptible to a second-round upset in the eyes of some fans if Utah State makes it past Washington, but the Tar Heels have too much experience in Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson and freshman talent in Nassir Little and Coby White to be outplayed that early in the tournament. 

We purposely saved Virginia for last in this section because we're aware the Cavaliers still have to gain some trust back after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in 2018. 

Skeptics of the Cavaliers will point to the semifinal exit at the ACC tournament as another example of things not going right for Tony Bennett's team in the postseason, but we have trust it can get the job done. 

In the second round, the Cavaliers will play a double-digit loss team that struggled down the stretch, whether it be Ole Miss or Oklahoma.

Virginia's road will get tougher once it hits the second weekend, but the path is set up for it to thrive in the first two rounds and join the other No. 1 seeds in the Sweet 16. 

Duke Lands Rematch With North Carolina In Final

If form holds throughout the Big Dance, Duke has a chance to avenge its defeat to Gonzaga and land a fourth meeting with North Carolina.

Imagining a Duke-UNC final takes our breath away, as it would be a perfect ending to an incredible season for both Tobacco Road rivals. 

As we've witnessed throughout the season, Duke is hard to stop when it's at full strength, and we saw just how powerful the Blue Devils are with a healthy Williamson during the ACC tournament.

Roy Williams' Tar Heels may not have the otherworldly talent, but they navigated the ACC as well as they could by only suffering a trio of defeats. 

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

Friday's ACC tournament semifinal showed us just how high of a level both the Blue Devils and Tar Heels can play at on the sport's biggest stage, and it left us wanting more in the NCAA tournament. 

Of course, everything has to go right for both teams to reach the final, but these are two sides you can trust to win five games to get to that point. 

No team in the Big Dance has the talent capable of stopping Duke, which means the Blue Devils are more likely to beat themselves with a poor shooting performance, while North Carolina has been to the Final Four in two of the last three years. 

Right now, a Duke-UNC final is just a dream, but both teams are more than capable of making it a reality in three weeks time if they play up to the high standard they've set for themselves. 

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