Duke, Arizona, Michigan And Florida Lead Title Odds For March

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The No. 1 seeds had a clear separation over the rest of the field when last year's NCAA Tournamentbracket was revealed and it played out that way with all those groups reaching the Final 4.


This year's front runners - Duke, Arizona, Michigan and defending national champion Florida - are the favorites at BetMGM Sportsbook to win the nationwide title.


Bruce Marshall, handicapper for WagerTalk/Gold Sheet, said he might see a couple of other teams breaking through to make the Final Four in Indianapolis.


"I don't think we'll see all of them (No. 1 seeds) in the Final 4," Marshall said. "Maybe somebody slips through on the three-line. I 'd enjoy Virginia possibly. They have actually got a respectable potential roadway in their region. That's Michigan's region. I think Michigan is beatable now."


That stated, Marshall said it's not that various from last season in which just a couple of teams have a practical possibility to win everything.


The NCAA selection committee likewise appeared to get most of the first-round matches right, a minimum of if passing the odds. There are just 2 favorites that are the lower-seeded groups, a pair of 8-9 matches with Utah State favored by 2 1/2 points over Villanova and Iowa by the exact same number over Clemson.


"We ´ re expecting a relatively milky competition this year, comparable to what we saw last season," said Patrick Berbert, college basketball trader at Caesars Sportsbook. "The NIL age has truly widened the space in between the top programs and the rest of the field. From a wagering viewpoint, we ´ re projecting record engagement once again."


Connecticut is a big favorite at BetMGM and Caesars to win the females's NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.


The Huskies as a two-seed defeated 3 No. 1sts to win the 2025 title, however there is no slipping up on this year ´ s field.


"UConn has actually been extremely dominant, winning 29 straight games by double digits," Berbert stated. "It ´ s among the more amazing runs we ´ ve seen in recent memory, which dominance is reflected in their existing title price of -280. ... In our view, UCLA provides the biggest capacity obstacle, however overall, it ´ s hard to see many teams standing in UConn ´ s method if they continue playing at this level."


On the men's side, Michigan and Florida weren't punished by the committee for losing in their conference competition and were offered No. 1 seeds.


Duke made it through 2 scares in winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, beating Florida State by a point and Virginia by 4 in the title game.


Arizona had the very best week of the top seeds however had to be at its finest to beat Iowa State and Houston by a combined seven indicate capture the Big 12 Conference Tournament champion.


"When we get to the Big Dance, what takes place in the conference competitions usually does not matter," Marshall said. "Teams that lose in the conference competitions often end up winning the whole thing. It might not be the very best thing to play 3, four days in a row in the week before the competition, so I don't read excessive into it."


Bettors often look beyond the favorites in hopes of receiving a by striking on a team that gets hot.


Johnny Avello, sports operations director for DraftKings Sportsbook, stated he is enjoying UConn and Arkansas. DraftKings lists the Huskies at 30-1 odds and the Razorbacks at 60-1 even though Arkansas won the Southeastern Conference Tournament.


"In the future book, there are a few clear favorites at the top of the board, but there ´ s also a lot of value in the middle of the pack," Avello stated. "Bettors can still find appealing rates on teams that have actually shown they can play at a high level this season."


It's nearly ended up being anticipated that at least one No. 12 seed will defeat a No. 5 in the first round.


Texas Tech is the fastest favorite at BetMGM, noted at 7 1/2 points over Akron. Wisconsin is preferred by 9 1/2 over Peak, Vanderbilt by 11 1/2 over McNeese State, and St. John's by 11 1/2 over Northern Iowa.


Marshall stated he could see Akron and McNeese pulling the upsets.


"I do not think St. John's will lose to Northern Iowa," said Marshall, who noted he thought the Red Storm were underseeded. "It'll simply be a difficult video game. And I think Wisconsin will beat High Point, although Peak's sort of fun to watch."


AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness