Kansas Tops Tournament Odds
The Kansas Jayhawks haven’t had any trouble with either of their first two opponents of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and that has them sitting atop the March Madness odds heading into their Sweet Sixteen matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday night.
The Jayhawks, the top seed in Midwest Region, blasted UC Davis by a score of 100-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and then rolled to a 90-70 win over Michigan State in their second game of the Big Dance to advance to this week’s Sweet Sixteen. With Purdue on tap on Thursday night, and the No. 2 seed in their region (Louisville) already eliminated, the Jayhawks are set as the +475 favorites on the updated odds to win the NCAA Tournament.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, the No. 1 seed in the South Region, then follow closely behind at +500 on the updated NCAA Tournament odds. The Tar Heels also picked up a blowout win in their first outing, dispatching Texas Southern 103-64, then played a tighter match in a 72-65 win over Arkansas in the Round of 32. North Carolina will face the Butler Bulldogs on Friday.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Arizona Wildcats are both then at +650 on those updated NCAA Tournament betting lines, with those schools both in the West Region of the bracket. Top-seeded Gonzaga survived a 79-73 win over Northwestern in the Round of 32 and next faces West Virginia in their Sweet Sixteen matchup on Thursday night. Second-seeded Arizona knocked out Saint Mary’s 69-60 last round, and will face Xavier on Thursday night.
UCLA, Kentucky, Florida Next Contenders
The UCLA Bruins and the Kentucky Wildcats will meet in a Sweet Sixteen matchup in the South Region on Friday night, and they’re at +900 and +1000 odds, respectively, to win the NCAA Tournament this spring. Second-seeded Kentucky knocked off Wichita State 65-62 in the Round of 32 on the weekend, while third-seeded UCLA beat Cincinnati by a 79-67 score.
Florida, the No. 4 seed in the East Region, is then at +1200, while Baylor, the No. 3 seed in the East Region, is at +1600. With both No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Duke eliminated in that part of the bracket, the Gators and Bears are the highest seeds remaining in the region. Florida faces No. 8 Wisconsin on Friday, with the Badgers at +1800 on the updated NCAA Tournament odds. Baylor takes on No. 7 South Carolina, with the Gamecocks listed at +5000.
Rounding out the updated NCAA Tournament odds are then Michigan at +1600, West Virginia at +1800, Oregon at +1800, Purdue at +2000, Butler at +4000, and Xavier back at +7500.