Tag: West region

March Madness: NCAA Tournament West Region odds, picks and predictions

Looking at March Madness futures odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament West Region, with expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The regions and seeding for the NCAA Tournament have been decided with Selection Sunday in the rearview mirror. The West Region includes quite a few notable teams with a chance to make some noise in the tournament.

Below, we look at BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament West Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The North Carolina Tar Heels (27-7) earned the top seed in the West Region, while the Howard Bison (16-15) and the Wagner Seahawks (18-16) will meet Tuesday in the First Four to determine who faces the Tar Heels in the round of 64. The region’s 2-3-4 seeds are Arizona (25-8), Baylor (23-10), and Alabama (21-11).

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West Region futures odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 5:57 a.m. ET.

1 seed: North Carolina +300 (bet $100 to win $300)

2 seed: Arizona +280 (bet $100 to win $280)

3 seed: Baylor +800 (bet $100 to win $800)

4 seed: Alabama +750 (bet $100 to win $750)

5 seed: Saint Mary’s +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600)

6 seed: Clemson +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

7 seed: Dayton +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

8 seed: Mississippi State +2200 (bet $100 to win $2,200)

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9 seed: Michigan State +2200 (bet $100 to win $2,200)

10 seed: Nevada +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

11 seed: New Mexico +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

12 seed: Grand Canyon +6600 (bet $100 to win $6,600)

13 seed: Charleston +20000 (bet $100 to win $20,000)

14 seed: Colgate +40000 (bet $100 to win $40,000)

15 seed: Long Beach State +20000 (bet $100 to win $20,000)

16 seed: Howard/Wagner +40000 (bet $100 to win $40,000)

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West Region expert pick and prediction

Arizona Wildcats (+280)

The Wildcats (25-8) have the talent to win the whole darn thing, but can they put it together for 6 straight games? That’s the big question. They ended the regular season with a disappointing loss on the road to a middling USC squad and were ousted in the Pac-12 tournament by the eventual champs, the Oregon Ducks. So why I do I like them to win the West Region? Because they have the clearest path to the Elite Eight of anyone in the West.

Guard play is vital in the NCAA Tournament and Arizona has All-American G Caleb Love, who was in the 2022 Final Four with North Carolina. He led the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game (PPG). Arizona also has a pair of 7-footers in the low block, headlined by C Oumar Ballo who averaged a double-double for the season (13.1 points, 10 rebounds). The Wildcats will be a tough out for anyone in this tournament.

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West Region contenders

North Carolina Tar Heels (+300)

I’d be remiss not to mention North Carolina (27-7) as a threat in the West Region as the No. 1 seed. UNC features 4 players averaging double-figures in scoring, led by 1st-team All-American point guard R.J. Davis (21 PPG).

North Carolina is balanced outside and inside with their senior leader F Armando Bacot, who averages a double-double (14.1 points, 10.2 rebounds). He and Davis enter this tournament with big chips on their shoulders from their 2022 National Championship 72-69 loss to Kansas. They are the biggest challenger to the Arizona Wildcats.

Clemson Tigers (+3000)

Clemson (21-10) played an outstanding non-conference schedule and beat NCAA Tournament teams UAB, Boise State, Alabama, South Carolina, and TCU. The Tigers finished 3rd in field-goal percentage offense and defense in the ACC. They may have finished in a tie for 5th in the ACC, but make no mistake, this team earned their spot in the Big Dance.

Senior C PJ Hall leads the Tigers with 18.8 PPG and had 7 double-doubles this season. Clemson got a huge offensive boost from 5th-year senior Syracuse transfer G Joseph Girard III (15.7 PPG). This squad brings a lot to the court which could give other team fits.

West Region long shot

Grand Canyon Lopes (+6600)

The Antelopes (29-4) won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season (17-3) and tournament titles. Grand Canyon’s average margin of victory in the WAC was 11.2 PPG. They are coached by Bryce Drew, one of the legends of March Madness. Drew hit a buzzer beater for No. 13 Valparaiso to beat No. 4 Ole Miss in the 1st round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. He knows what it takes to win in the Big Dance.

Grand Canyon brings a balanced attack,leading the WAC in scoring defense (64.8) and 2nd in scoring offense (75.9). Senior G Tyon Grant-Foster is the WAC men’s player of the year after averaging 19.8 points and 6 rebounds per game and shooting nearly 45% from the field for the season. This team can play with anyone in the country.

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Best bets in the West Region of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament

Who besides the Zags should you put your money on?

The West Region is largely thought to be top-seed Gonzaga’s to lose. The Bulldogs have been the best team in the country for most of the season, and after coming up short of a title so many times in the past, this year’s team led by Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren feels like the one that can get them over the hump.

Helping Gonzaga’s case is having maybe the least-regarded two-seed in the tournament in its bracket. Duke’s seeding shocked plenty who thought Tennessee should have gotten the nod, however the Blue Devils are still loaded with enough talent to give anyone trouble.

The real sneaky team to be aware of in this region is the Big 12 tourney runner-up Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are elite defensively and have a number of players they can go to for offense, led by Bryson Williams and Terrence Shannon.

Here’s a look at the best bets in the West Region, with odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

ESPN Bracketology: Texas a four seed in the West

ESPN has projected UT as a four seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Bracketology. This would be UT’s highest seed in the tournament since 2011.

Picking up five-star forward Greg Brown has built up hype for this upcoming basketball season, with Texas expected to be better than usual. Bringing back 100% of their production to go along with Brown and Shaka Smart is expected to have his best team ever in Austin.

Even ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is buying into the hype around this Longhorns team, ranking them as high as a four seed in his 2021 NCAA Tournament Bracketology. This would be Texas’ highest seed in the tournament ever under Smart and the highest since the 2011 tournament.

Playing in the West region, Gonzaga reigns as the No. 1 overall seed. Wisconsin, Big 12 rival Texas Tech, and Oregon round out the top five.

Here is the full region:

Outside of the west, five other Big 12 schools are projected to make the NCAA tournament, including Baylor being a one-seed in the South region. With those first and second-round games projected to be in Dallas, the Bears would have a huge home-court advantage against their opponents.

Kansas is once again expected to be a top team in the country, being a two-seed in the Midwest region. The Jayhawks are joined by Oklahoma State in their region but on the opposite side of the bracket. The Cowboys are projected to be nine-seed. This would be the first time Oklahoma State made the NCAA Tournament since 2017.

To round out the conference, West Virginia and Oklahoma will represent the Big 12 in the East region. The Mountaineers will be a three-seed, while the Sooners will be a nine-seed. The two were both expected to make the 2019 NCAA Tournament but was canceled due to the coronavirus.

As a whole, the Big 12 is going to have a rebound type season in college basketball. While the conference may have the same amount of teams in the NCAA Tournament, a couple schools outside of Kansas and Baylor will be highly seeded.

Thanks to the commitment of Greg Brown, Texas will hopefully be one of those highly seeded teams. Last season, finishing third in the Big 12 (as the Longhorns did) put you in an elimination game in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. In 2020-2021, finishing third in the conference could have you as a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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