Liam

Above are the odds for every single team in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament provided by Pregame. Now I don’t consider myself a sharp by any means, but as a recreational gambler, I must say that some of these tournament odds look mighty tasty. A couple things to keep in mind before you start throwing 10 dollars on every 13 seed with 2000 to 1 odds…. According to historical statistics, every year there is a 60.6% chance that the tournament will be won by a 1 seeded team. On top of that, the lowest seed to ever win the Big Dance was an 8 seeded Villanova squad in 1985. Picking an NCAA tournament champion is essentially closing your eyes and reaching into a hat, but will that deter me from doing it anyways? Absolutely not…So let’s stop being negative and take a look at some of the teams you might want to roll the dice with this year.

The Chalk

Villanova ( 5 to 1 odds)

The Vegas favorite at 5 to 1, Villanova is an experienced tournament team and they always come to play in March. The Wildcats have two NCAA titles to their name (2016, 1985), and they are hungry for a third. Led by point guard Jalen Brunson, Villanova has highest scoring offense of any division 1 team, averaging 87.1 points per game. Sure you don’t get as much value as you might from your ESPN bracket challenge (that you have no chance of winning, I’m sorry), but dropping a fifty-spot to win 250 isn’t a bad day at the office.

Virginia ( 6 to 1 odds)

While Villanova is the current Vegas favorite, that is subject to change, as many betting basketball fans would make the case that Virginia is the best team in the NCAA this year. If you like betting on overs then Virginia probably isn’t your favorite team to watch…Their leading scorer averages 14 points a game. But what they lack in offensive presence, they make up for in defensive consistency. Virginia leads the NCAA in defense, only allowing an average of 53 points. They say defense wins championships, and at 6-1 odds, thats certainly a philosophy I’m willing to buy into.

Duke (7 to 1 odds)

Yeah …. the Duke Blue Devils occasionally disappoint in the NCAA tournament, and getting eliminated in the second round last year certainly doesn’t help their case. With that being said, you should never count Coach K out of an NCAA tournament…You never know what that damn vampire of a basketball coach has up his sleeve. Plus with guys like Marvin Bagley III and Grayson Allen on the court, it’s tough to bet against the Blue Devils this year.

The Value Picks

North Carolina (18 to 1 odds)

Gotta love seeing last years champions at 18 to 1 odds… Although UNC isn’t quite the team they were last year, the Tar Heels still managed to snag a two spot for this years tournament. They had an impressive showing in the ACC tournament, defeating rival Duke, but finished second after a tightly contested loss to Virginia in the championship game. I think this could potentially help come the Big Dance, as they will definitely be playing with a chip on their shoulder. I’ll take a defending champion at 18-1 any day!

Xavier (20 to 1 odds)

So Xavier seems to be nearly everyone’s sleeper this year. I personally find it hard to call a 1 seed a “sleeper”, but with 20 to 1 odds, it’s clear that Vegas doesn’t consider Xavier to be as big a threat as the other three one seeds. I’m a firm believer in the philosophy that “Vegas knows all”, but 20-1 odds on a regions number one seeded team is definitely enticing.

Kentucky ( 28 to 1 odds)

One name, two words…Coach Cal. Yeah this Kentucky squad has been questionable all year, but no one in there right mind would ever count Kentucky out of the NCAA tournament. Although their last NCAA Championship win was in 2012, Coach Calipari and the Wildcats always show up in March. They put up a mediocre conference record of 10-8 this season, but they showed up to the SEC tournament a completely different team, winning the tourney as a four seed. The bigger the stage, the better this Kentucky team has played, and at 28 to 1 odds….Lets ride.

The Long Shots

Ok at this point we are basically throwing darts with our eyes closed, so I’m not going to go into to much detail on these potential Long Shots to win the NCAA tournament…But here are some teams to keep on your radar if you feel like making some low risk, high reward bets.

Florida (82 to 1 odds)

-Regular season record of 20-12, finished third in the SEC

-Seeded 6 in the East Region.

-Won back to back NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007.

Davidson (300 to 1 odds)

-Won the Atlantic 10 conference tournament

-Freshman Guard Kellen Grady averaging 18 points a game and can absolutely shoot the lights out.

-Will have to beat Kentucky first round, but matchup well against SEC teams.

New Mexico State (500 to 1 odds)

-The 2018 WAC champions.

-Best Mid Major defense, and ranked 16th nationally in defensive efficiency.

South Dakota State (1000 to 1 odds)

-Summit League Champions.

-MIKE DAUM… South Dakota States three point shooting center who averages 23 points a game.

-They make the most of possessions, turning the ball over on only 13.8 percent of possessions.

College of Charleston (2000 to 1 odds)

-2018 CAA Tournament Champions

-Regular season record of 26-7

-Undefeated at home, although they must travel to San Diego to face Auburn in the first round of the tournament.