Miami’s national championship odds among the longest

From the “you don’t say” department, people still don’t think that highly of the Miami Hurricanes despite the school’s first trip to the Elite Eight. Or at least the people who set the odds apparently hold that opinion.

Out of the remaining teams left in the tournament, Miami has the longest POSTED “futures” (aka championship) odds, per DraftKings. As I write this, no book seems to have Saint Peters’ odds of winning the whole shebang listed, at least nowhere that I can find. However, DraftKings noted after their 67-64 upset of Purdue that the Peacocks’ immediate updated odds were 100-1 to win the national championship, or +10,000.

The Canes sit at +2500 to win the title. Among the remaining teams with posted odds, Kansas has the best at +275, followed by Houston (+350), Duke (+400), Villanova (+600), North Carolina (+600), and Arkansas (+1000).

Miami, if it was to advance all the way to the championship game, would have to take out the top two remaining teams with the highest odds to get there. I guess that’s a big reason why Vegas has faded them so much.

Or it could be more of the same: that folks just don’t believe Miami is that good.

To that, I say: keep on doubting them. Please. Write about how Kansas is too physical on the boards, will dominate inside, that Miami can’t match up, etc. This team has heard plenty about a lack of belief in them from outsiders - from all the way back when they were voted 12th in the preseason ACC poll (as Kam McGusty pointed out in a recent interview) - and it’s helped fuel them into the rolling machine they’ve become. And the fact they’ve lost by more than four points JUST ONCE since November 28 means they’re a scrappy bunch who’s going to make your life difficult for 40 minutes no matter who you are.

Go Canes!