March Madness is here. The best tournament in basketball goes underway on Thursday, March 16 with the first round. While the first two rounds are exciting due to the number of games scheduled, the reality is there isn’t much room for upsets.
The real excitement begins when the Sweet 16 take the spotlight. Then, we get a chance to see the best teams in the nation going against each other in a win-or-go-home situation.
For now, let’s review what the chances the per head sportsbooks give to each of the team’s listed in the tournament. Duke and North Carolina open as the two main favorites, but we know March Madness doesn’t enjoy being cliché, so there will be a chance for many.
These are the 2017 College Basketball Odds to win March Madness:
Duke Blue Devils +600
After dominating the ACC tournament in impressive fashion, Duke jumps as the favorite to win it all in the 2017 March Madness Bracket, according to the pay per head sportsbooks. The Blue Devils won for the last time in 2015, and they are ready to deliver again.
Wins over Clemson (79-72), Louisville (87-77), North Carolina (93-83) and Notre Dame (75-69) in the ACC tournament are good enough arguments to make them favorites for the next two weeks. This year’s generation had problems with injuries and suspension throughout the year, but they have gotten to this point as healthy as they can be.
Duke averages 80.7 points per game, and whoever wants to beat, will have to outscore them. Good luck with that.
North Carolina Tar Heels +600
North Carolina went head-to-head against Duke in the ACC semifinals but failed to deliver in the end. But more than that, the sports betting agents are considering a revenge factor into this year’s Tar Heels chances. After losing to Villanova in a dramatic way last season, UNC won’t be calmed until they have a real shot at the title again.
The Tar Heels average 84.6 points per game, the 12th best number in College Basketball. They have four players averaging double-digits, led by forward Justin Jackson who scored 18.1 points per night.
Villanova Wildcats +750
There are two reasons why the online bookies are not giving the Champs the favorites’ label. First, the Big East is not as demanding as other Conference. Second, it’s really hard to win the title back to back during March Madness. The last team to do it was Florida in 2006 and 2007 under coach Billy Donovan.
Villanova has that type of coach. Jay Wright is cool and collected, and his team reflects that on the court. Nova won the Big East by beating Creighton by 14 points in the final. They dominated from start to finish.
They lost only three games during the entire regular season. And since February, only Butler was able to take them down with an upset. The Champs are serious contenders.
Kansas Jayhawks +800
Kansas hasn’t won the tournament since 2008 despite their Big 12 domination. Their loss against Kentucky in the 2012 final still haunts them. They have this unfair tag of a team that dominates their Conference but can’t deliver in March.
The Jayhawks were upset by TCU during the Big 12 tournament. Even so, the Jayhawks were listed as a number one of the top four seeds in the 2017 March Madness brackets. They should advance without many problems in the first two rounds of the tournament. It all starts getting complicated for the bookie gambling when they meet Iowa State, presumably during the Sweet 16.
Kentucky Wildcats +850
Coach Jon Calipari is on the One-and-Done business. His team once again needs to show they are NBA talent ready to roll in the NCAA tournament. After winning the SEC tournament with a strong performance, the stakes are high for this Wildcats team.
They will enter March Madness with 12 wins in a row and with the 5th best offense in the nation, averaging 86.1 points per game. Guard Malik Monk is one of the best scorers in College Basketball averaging 20.4 points per game. He’s the guy the pph sportsbooks will keep an eye on during the next few weeks.
Gonzaga Bulldogs +1000
Always a bridesmaid never a bride. Gonzaga is the team everybody talks about during the regular season, but usually under delivers during March.
The Bulldogs ended with the best record in the regular season with 32 wins and one loss. BYU was the only team who was able to beat Gonzaga this season. The problem, however, is always the same. Gonzaga gets to March Madness with an unproven record.
Arizona Wildcats +1200
Arizona is one of those teams the big programs won’t want to face. The Wildcats have won nine of the last ten games, including an upset victory over Oregon in the PAC-12 tournament final. The bookmaker software will be careful when putting the lines against the Wildcats. They average 76.3 points per game and allow 65.4 points.
The Wildcats will enter the tournament with a 24-2 record in their last 26 games.
The Field:
- UCLA Bruins +1200
- Louisville Cardinals +1600
- Oregon Ducks +1800
- Florida State Seminoles +2500
- West Virginia Mountaineers +2500
- Florida Gators +2800
- Purdue Boilermakers +2800
- Baylor Bears +3300
- Virginia Cavaliers +3300
- Iowa State Cyclones +3300
- SMU Mustangs +3300
- Michigan Wolverines +3300
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish +4000
- Wisconsin Badgers +4000
- Butler Bulldogs +5000
- Minnesota Golden Gophers +8000
- Cincinnati Bearcats +8000
- Saint Mary’s Gaels +8000
- Creighton Blue Jays +10000
- Maryland Terrapins +10000
- Michigan State Spartans +10000
- Rhode Island Rams +10000
- Miami Hurricanes +15000
- Vanderbilt Commodores +15000
- Xavier Musketeers +15000
- South Carolina Gamecocks +20000
- Northwestern Wildcats +20000
- Virginia Tech Hokies +20000
- Seton Hall Pirates +20000
- USC Trojans +20000
- Kansas State Wildcats +20000
- Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders +20000
- Dayton Flyers +25000
- Arkansas Razorbacks +25000
- Marquette Golden Eagles +25000
- Providence Friars +25000
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons +25000
- VCU Rams +30000
- UNC Wilmington Seahawks +50000
- Nevada Wolf Pack +50000
- Winthrop Eagles +50000
- Princeton Tigers +75000
- East Tennessee State Buccaneers +75000
- Vermont Catamounts +75000
- Bucknell Bison +75000
- New Mexico State Aggies +200000
- Iona Gaels +200000
- Florida Gulf Coast Eagles +200000
- North Carolina Central Eagles +200000
- Kent State Golden Flashes +500000
- Troy Trojans +500000
- Jacksonville State Gamecocks +500000
- Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers +500000
- New Orleans +500000
- South Dakota State Jackrabbits +500000
- Texas Southern Tigers +500000