Odds favor Missouri basketball as champions in March

A recently released update of odds show that Missouri basketball’s chances of winning the NCAA National Championship in 2018 have increased exponentially!

Dave Matter, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently reported that Bovada rated that the Missouri Tigers odds of being crowned national champions in 2018 increased from 250/1, to 28/1.

More from Truman's Tales

• Believe it or not, Missouri football has never played these FBS teams
• Missouri Tigers all-time round-by-round NCAA tournament record
• March Madness schedule: When do the Missouri Tigers play next? (Updated Round of 64)
• The Missouri Tigers Kansas Jayhawks Border War Renews
• Marching Mizzou Marches into the Big Apple

Mizzou, which finished the 2016-17 season with a paltry record of 8-24, may have flipped its success with an equally successful recruiting season thus far, which has netted the Tigers Michael Porter, Jr., CJ Roberts, and Blake Harris.

Still no word on Kevin Knox or Jeremiah Tilmon, but these odds are based solely on the personnel committed to the Tigers’ roster for next year.

Should Missouri find itself with commitments from Knox and Tilmon, then it will not only increase Mizzou’s chances, but it might all-but-guarantee the Tigers a date at the big dance in March.

Baylor was the only other program given much improved odds, which moved from 250/1, to 40/1. Kentucky dropped from 9/1 odds, to 10/1, while Michigan State improved from 20/1, to 10/1 odds.

Two months ago, who would have imagined that Mizzou would improve its standing from pretenders to contenders in such sharp contrast?

Back in February, I was hoping for a halfway decent football season, until it was time to bear another forgettable basketball season.