The Big Dance is almost underway. It is just days until the Round of 64 tips, and it’s primed to be an exciting few weeks with the West potentially being the most difficult of the four regions.
Below, we look at the NCAA Tournament West Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The West will kick off Tuesday with Rutgers against Notre Dame, a matchup of two 11 seeds in which Notre Dame is a slight favorite. The winner will take on Alabama, the region’s No. 6 seed.
Gonzaga leads the region with Duke at No. 2 and Texas Tech at No. 3. No. 12 New Mexico State and No. 13 Vermont are teams to keep an eye on as well.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
West Region futures odds
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 8:34 p.m. ET.
1 seed: Gonzaga Bulldogs -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
2 seed: Duke Blue Devils +380 (bet $100 to win $380)
3 seed: Texas Tech Red Raiders +550 (bet $100 to win $550)
4 seed: Arkansas Razorbacks +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200)
5 seed: Connecticut Huskies +1500 (bet $100 to win $1,500)
6 seed: Alabama Crimson Tide +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000)
7 seed: Michigan State Spartans +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)
8 seed: Boise State Broncos +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)
9 seed: Memphis Tigers +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000)
10 seed: Davidson Wildcats +5000 (bet $100 to win $5,000)
11 seed: Rutgers Scarlet Knights / Notre Dame Fighting Irish +4000 (bet $100 to win $4,000)
12 seed: New Mexico State Aggies +8000 (bet $100 to win $8,000)
13 seed: Vermont Catamounts +7000 (bet $100 to win $7,000)
14 seed: Montana State Bobcats +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
15 seed: Cal State Fullerton Titans +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
16 seed: Georgia State Panthers +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
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West Region expert pick and prediction
Texas Tech Red Raiders +550
While we obviously aren’t playing a game-specific spread, the Red Raiders were a Big 12-best 9-2 against the spread (ATS) against ranked opponents. They are a physical bunch and play good teams close.
Kenpom has them ranked as the 9th-best team in the nation with the No. 1 adjusted defensive efficiency. They also have a top-20 strength of schedule, so this team is tested.
Tech held Big 12 opponents to a conference-low 39% from the field. Tech beat No. 1 Baylor twice and No. 1 Kansas once. The resume speaks for itself, and it should be able to defeat Duke and Gonzaga to reach the Final Four.
This value is the best in the region.
West Region contenders
Gonzaga Bulldogs (-200)
Gonzaga is the No. 1 team in the nation, and there’s no reason to doubt the Bulldogs’ potential success. They rank first in Kenpom’s offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency.
They are a very good team with veteran leadership in C Drew Timme. However, at -200, I wouldn’t play this value; nonetheless, they’re the region’s top contender.
Duke Blue Devils (+380)
Duke is one of 3 teams in the nation to have beaten Gonzaga. That was earlier in the season and the Blue Devils are coming off a demoralizing loss to Virginia Tech.
With Coach K’s last tournament soon to commence, the Blue Devils will go as far as F Paolo Banchero will take them.
Players like C Mark Williams and F A.J. Griffin have been too inconsistent. Duke has value here, but having to get through Tech and Gonzaga is relatively unlikely.
Arkansas Razorbacks (+1200)
Sometimes, all you need is your best player to get hot, and Arkansas may have the best player in the region with G JD Notae.
Notae ranked second in the SEC scoring 18.4 points per game. There should be concerns about his usage as the Razorbacks were destroyed in the SEC semifinals by Texas A&M and Notae had just 5 points.
He has to get hot and stay on fire for 18th-ranked Arkansas to have a chance. Nonetheless, there is a chance that happens and at +1200, it gives decent value.
I’d look to play a top-three seed or look further down in the seeding though.
West Region long shots
Michigan State Spartans (+3000)
Michigan State comes alive in March. Legendary coach Tom Izzo knows how to prepare his team, and whoever lines the court will give the Spartans a chance to succeed.
The Spartans will take on the Davidson Wildcats in the Round of 64. Then, they get the Duke Blue Devils.
The Spartans have wins over No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 3 Purdue, No. 7 Ohio State (who beat Duke earlier in the season), and No. 5 UConn. The resume is there, and if they get hot, watch out.
Vermont Catamounts (+7000)
Vermont is going to take on Arkansas in the first round. The Catamounts beat UMBC, the No. 2 seed in the America East Conference tournament, by 29. They were 28-5 on the season.
Vermont has a top 75 offense and defense per Kenpom.
Vermont’s main issue will be its size. It has just 1 player over 6-foot-8 and none over 6-foot-10. It does, however, have experience with 2 seniors averaging over 16 points per game.
It has been great all season, and making the Sweet 16 is not crazy for a team as talented as Vermont. It’s March, and it’s a skilled program. Anything can happen.
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