Syracuse basketball may be on the bubble, but Vegas tells a different story

Despite a 17-13 overall record and just two wins away from the Carrier Dome this season, Las Vegas bookmakers still believe the Orange are a legitimate contender to win the national title.

Bovada released its updated national title odds on Wednesday, and only 17 teams were given better odds than Syracuse to win the toughest tournament in sports.

As Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com points out, none of the teams that were given better odds are less than a No. 6 seed by The Bracket Matrix, which credits what the Orange was able to do last season as a 10 seed.

Just a couple weeks ago, Syracuse was given 100-to-1 odds to win the title, and now SU sits at 40-to-1 odds.

The favorites, according to Bovada, are North Carolina and UCLA, who both have 6-to-1 odds. Kansas is second with 7-to-1 odds, followed by Gonzaga at 8-to-1 odds.

The teams that were mentioned, but getting the worst odds to win, are California, Kansas State, Marquette, Middle Tennessee, Monmouth, NC State and Seton Hall. All of their odds are at 500-to-1.

Syracuse has proven it can beat anyone this season, but what SU did last season could be most appealing to gamblers heading into March. The only issue is no one knows if the Orange will be dancing in a few weeks.

But that’s why they call it gambling.