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Arizona’s surprising run into the top five following a 14-1 start to the Tommy Lloyd area could be starting to make some sportsbooks nervous.

Ranked outside of the top 25 to begin the season, Arizona opened as a +5000 longshot at BetMGM to win the national title. The Wildcats are now +1800 and being supported by 7.4 percent of the tickets and 10.9 percent of the national title money wagered, both second-most at the sportsbook.



Leading the way is No. 4 Purdue (14-2) with 9.7 and 11.1 percent, respectively, with the Boilermakers seeing their odds shorten from +1600 to +800 since the season began.

Arizona is the biggest liability at BetMGM, followed by Purdue and second-ranked Auburn. The Tigers have been backed by a modest 4.8 percent of the bets but 7.3 percent of the money wagered on the title.

Gonzaga Remains No. 1

Gonzaga opened the season as the +600 favorite and regained the No. 1 ranking by a narrow margin on Monday. The Bulldogs are still being offered at +600 while drawing 6.6 percent of the tickets and money.

Among the biggest movers since the season began has been Duke. The Blue Devils have moved from +1400 to +800 and are being backed by 7.0 percent of the tickets and 7.3 percent of the money – both third-most at BetMGM.

Gonzaga is also the +600 betting favorite at DraftKings, followed by Duke and Purdue at +900.



Auburn (16-1) received 36 first-place votes in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 to 25 for Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs (14-2) took the top spot by four points over the Tigers — 1,486 to 1,482. Gonzaga opened the season at No. 1.

Baylor Slides

The shakeup at the top comes after erstwhile No. 1 Baylor (15-2) lost two games this past week. The Bears dropped to No. 5 but are still being offered at +1200 after opening at +2000.

Pac-12 teams UCLA (11-2) and Southern Cal (14-2) were the week’s biggest fallers. The Bruins dropped six spots to No. 9 while the Trojans plummeted 11 spots to No. 16. Both teams lost at home to unranked Oregon while the Trojans also lost at Stanford.

Duke (14-2) and Kansas (14-2) jumped two spots to Nos. 6 and 7, respectively. Wisconsin (14-2) jumped into the top 10 at No. 8 while Houston (15-2) rounded out the Top 10 behind the Bruins.

Illinois (13-3) was the week’s big jumper, ascending eight spots to No. 17.

Loyola-Chicago (13-2) and UConn (11-4) entered the poll this week. The Huskies are back in for the first time since Dec. 13 at No. 25. Loyola-Chicago leapfrogged to No. 22.

Alabama and Seton Hall fell out of the Top 25. The Pirates dropped both of their road games while the Crimson Tide lost to Auburn and at Mississippi State.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)