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March Madness tips off Thursday, and the East Region bracket is absolutely loaded.
Below, we look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament East Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The East includes last year’s champs, the UConn Huskies (31-3); they’re the No. 1 seed. For Connecticut to get through this region, it will have to get past this season’s title teams from the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC in Iowa State (27-7), Illinois (26-8), and Auburn (27-7), respectively. The Huskies (KenPom No. 1), Tigers (No. 4) and Cyclones (No. 5) represent 3/5ths of the top 5 on KenPom’s rankings.
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East Region futures odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 1:25 p.m. ET.
1 seed: UConn +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
2 seed: Iowa State +440 (bet $100 to win $440)
3 seed: Illinois +800 (bet $100 to win $800)
4 seed: Auburn +500 (bet $100 to win $500)
5 seed: San Diego State +2100 (bet $100 to win $2,100)
6 seed: BYU +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)
7 seed: Washington State +3400 (bet $100 to win $3,400)
8 seed: FAU +2900 (bet $100 to win $2,900)
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9 seed: Northwestern +5500 (bet $100 to win $5,500)
10 seed: Drake +4200 (bet $100 to win $4,200)
11 seed: Duquesne +13000 (bet $100 to win $13,000)
12 seed: UAB +13000 (bet $100 to win $13,000)
13 seed: Yale +11000 (bet $100 to win $11,000)
14 seed: Morehead State +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)
15 seed: South Dakota State +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)
16 seed: Stetson +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)
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East Region expert pick and prediction
Iowa State (+440)
Putting all the key betting factors together and weighing in the prices, the Cyclones come out with a lot of value. The champions of this year’s toughest league are elite at the defensive end and usually maintain key edges in turnovers, rebounding and free-throw frequency.
The analysis of the East includes some slight fading of No. 1 UConn, heavier fading of No. 3 Illinois and a bit of extra potential for an upset in No. 4 Auburn’s path.
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East Region contenders
AUBURN (+500)
The Tigers rank in KenPom’s top 10 in both offensive (10th) and defensive (4th) efficiency. The defense (including what AU does along the perimeter) and overall court skills should help Auburn avoid a misstep in what could be an interesting 1st-round game against Yale.
If the bracket plays out with AU playing UConn or Iowa State, consider that coach Bruce Pearl owns an 8-4 record against the spread when lined as an underdog.
San Diego State (+2100)
The Aztecs (24-10) are just 6-4 over their last 10 games, but they have the defense (39% field-goal accuracy allowed over those 10 games) and court skills to make for profit leverage at this price point. San Diego State sports a veteran lineup, and it gets its 1st 2 potential games in its own time zone (games in Spokane).
The futures market had shorter overall futures odds on SDSU a couple weeks ago. The Aztecs’ Jaedon LeDee is a power forward with possible late 1st-round NBA talent, and he’s a likely match-up problem for most teams San Diego State would play.
East Region long shots
Drake (+4200)
The Bulldogs (28-6) come out of the Missouri Valley Conference, a league that has often done damage from underdog slots in recent years’ brackets. Drake won the MVC Tournament and is 10-1 in its last 11 games.
DU hits from distance (36.5% from 3-point range) and takes great care of the ball. The Bulldogs are a top-notch defensive rebounding team. They have a 6-1 record in neutral-site games, and that includes a Dec. 9 rout of West No. 10 seed Nevada.
Morehead State (+25000)
Morehead State is a slow-tempo squad trending the right way at the defensive end, and that’s a dangerous combination. The Eagles often win the 3-point shooting battle, and they should be considered a live wire against 1st-round opponent Illinois and either team they might play in the 2nd round (BYU, Duquesne).
Both Drake and Morehead State are in the bottom half of the East Region bracket. Making the plays in tandem has merit.
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