It has been a wild and wacky first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, as several expected national title contenders have already been sent home. The headliner was the loss of the No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers, who became the first top seed in history to fall to a No. 16 seed. The UMBC Retrievers pulled off that historic upset before falling in the Round of 32 to Kansas State.
Kansas State has moved on to the Sweet Sixteen but it still has long odds to come away with the national title as there are many higher higher seeds still in the field. The favorite is the Villanova Wildcats, which isn’t a surprise as it was the top pick heading into March Madness.
Only one other No. 1 seed is still alive, as the Kansas Jayhawks’ odds have improved with so many expected contenders going down in the first two rounds. Xavier was the other No. 1 seed to lose, dropping its second round game to Florida State.
It was interesting to see how many of the top teams were eliminated early on. Not only did Virginia go down in the first round, but so did the Arizona Wildcats. The Michigan State Spartans, North Carolina Tar Heels and Cincinnati Bearcats made it one more round but have all been sent home as well.
Cinderella has been alive and well in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but the lower seeds still have long odds of coming away with the national title because there are plenty of formidable teams left in the Sweet Sixteen.
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It will be no surprise to see Villanova atop the list when the odds for the Sweet Sixteen teams are released. The Wildcats have rolled through the first two rounds and have the best collection of talent in the tournament. The No. 2 seed in their region, Purdue, is still alive but suffered a big blow in the opening round when center Isaac Hayes was lost with an elbow fracture. His expected absence moving forward improves Villanova’s odds of making the Final Four.
Duke has played extremely well in the first two rounds and has seen its journey get easier with Syracuse’s upset of Michigan State in the Round of 32. Even though the Blue Devils are the No. 2 seed in their region, Duke is looking like a team that could be cutting down the nets at the conclusion of the Final Four. Kansas is its toughest competition left in the region.
Kentucky entered the NCAA Tournament as only a No. 5 seed but suddenly finds itself as the highest seed remaining in its region because of a host of upsets. The Wildcats will be favored to make the Final Four and could easily make a run all the way to the national championship game.
The West Region has an interesting lower seed in Gonzaga at No. 4. Xavier is not the strongest No. 1 seed and could be ripe for an upset. No. 3 seed Michigan needed a miracle to even make the Sweet Sixteen but is here now and hoping to also be a championship contender.
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Many of the expected contenders have fallen, leaving Villanova as the clear favorite. A potential road of West Virginia, Purdue and Duke just to make the national championship game is not an easy one, though.
The other side of the bracket looks much easier. WIth that in mind, Kentucky should have intriguing odds to claim the title. The Wildcats may not be the best team in the country this season, but the schedule is setting up nicely for them to make a run at the championship.
Take the value play with Kentucky winning it all.
NCAA Odds: Kentucky to win the national championship over Duke
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