SPORTS
If the Super Bowl is the event that sportsbooks most look forward to, March Madness must come in a close second.
While the NFL’s championship game is only a single event, the NCAA’s championship basketball tournament last three weeks so there are more betting options.
March Madness began Tuesday night with the “Play-in” game between the Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers and the Coppin State Eagles, to see who will be the tournament’s 64th seed, with the Mountaineers closing as a 7-point favorite and the Total at 126.
The Moutaineers took the game by a final count of 69-60 covering as a 7-point fave and going Over the Total by 3.
The rest of the field was selected on Sunday (Selection Sunday) and here are the top seeded teams in each of the four regions.
Futures odds in parentheses and are from pinnaclesports.
North Carolina Tar Heels (+410)
The No. 1 seed in the East and the tournament’s top seed overall, the team features SI and TSN 2008 National Player of the year, junior F Tyler Hansbrough, who is averaging 23 PPG and 10.4 RPG.
The Tar Heels are 20-11 against the spread and will open the tournament against Mt. St. Mary’s, who beat Coppin St. in the "Play-in" game.
North Carolina will be a 25-point favorite in that game.
Kansas Jayhawks (+518)
The Jayhawks earned a ticket to the Big Dance by virtue of taking the Big 12 tournament and are 18-14 ATS.
Their first opponent in the tournament will be the Portland State Vikings and Kansas is listed as prohibitive 22½-point favorites.
UCLA Bruins (+400)
The Bruins are a pretty hot team entering the tournament having rattled off 15 of its last 16 straight up and going 10-6 ATS in the same span.
With an overall ATS record of 18-12-2, the Bruins will start the tournament against Mississippi Valley St. and UCLA is listed as a massive 32-point favorite.
Memphis Tigers (+690)
Memphis and North Carolina easily could’ve switched places, in terms of the tournaments top seed.
The Tigers were on pace to enter the tournament with a perfect record but dropped a game against Tennessee in late February.
Despite the 33-1 overall record however, Memphis’ betting numbers weren’t as good as it sported a 15-17-2 ATS record.
The Tigers will hope to improve on their record against the number when they open the tournament against Texas-Arlington and Memphis is a 24½-point favorite.