Nine No. 1 seeds have already fallen in small and mid-major conference tournaments, four more teams punched tickets to the NCAA tournament Tuesday night, and seven more conference tournaments tip off today as the blitzkrieg of basketball known as March Madness ramps up.
With it, betting action gains steam as well. Highlighted by the first weekend of the big dance, the NCAA tournament is one of the marquee events on the sports betting calendar. This weekend serves as an appetizer of sorts, with plentiful betting options available.
Here’s a look at the futures odds for some of the tournaments that start today and later this week.
| Westgate SuperBook | BetOnline | 5Dimes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAC TOURNAMENT | |||
| Cincinnati | 5/2 | +200 | |
| Uconn | 3/1 | +200 | |
| Tulsa | 9/2 | +500 | |
| Temple | 5/1 | +700 | |
| Houston | 7/2 | +450 | |
| Memphis | 15/1 | +900 | |
| Field | 60/1 | +5000 | |
| ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT | |||
| VCU | 8/5 | +125 | |
| Dayton | 4/1 | +350 | |
| St. Joe's | 5/1 | +500 | |
| St. Bonnny's | 7/1 | +700 | |
| George Washington | 7/1 | +600 | |
| Rhode Island | 15/1 | +1200 | |
| Richmond | +1200 | ||
| Davidson | +1600 | ||
| Field | 7/1 | +2500 | |
| BIG EAST TOURNAMENT | |||
| Villanova | Even | +100 | -115 |
| Xavier | 3/1 | +250 | +225 |
| Butler | 13/2 | +500 | +800 |
| Seton Hall | 8/1 | +750 | +1000 |
| Creighton | 12/1 | +1200 | +1800 |
| Providence | 12/1 | +1200 | +1600 |
| Georgetown | +2500 | +3600 | |
| Marquette | +3300 | +10000 | |
| DePaul | +20000 | ||
| St. John's | +25000 | ||
| Field | 25/1 | ||
| BIG TEN TOURNAMENT | |||
| Michigan State | Even | +105 | +150 |
| Indiana | 7/2 | +300 | +300 |
| Purdue | 9/2 | +550 | +600 |
| Maryland | 8/1 | +600 | +600 |
| Iowa | 10/1 | +800 | +600 |
| Wisconsin | 22/1 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Michigan | +2800 | +3300 | |
| Ohio State | +5000 | ||
| Northwestern | +6600 | ||
| Nebraska | +8000 | ||
| Penn State | +10000 | ||
| Illinois | +10000 | ||
| Minnesota | +15000 | ||
| Rutgers | +20000 | ||
| Field | 25/1 | +3300 | |
| BIG 12 TOURNAMENT | |||
| Kansas | 6/5 | +115 | +120 |
| Oklahoma | 7/2 | +375 | +300 |
| West Virginia | 7/2 | +250 | +325 |
| Iowa State | 8/1 | +800 | +800 |
| Texas | 12/1 | +1000 | +1200 |
| Baylor | 12/1 | +750 | +1000 |
| Texas Tech | +3300 | +2000 | |
| Kansas State | +8000 | ||
| Oklahoma | +15000 | ||
| TCU | +25000 | ||
| Field | 40/1 | +3300 | |
| MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT | |||
| San Diego State | 7/5 | +140 | |
| Boise State | 5/2 | +175 | |
| UNLV | 7/1 | +375 | |
| Fresno State | 8/1 | +600 | |
| New Mexico | 8/1 | +600 | |
| Nevada | 15/1 | +2000 | |
| Field | 12/1 | +1800 | |
| PAC 12 TOURNAMENT | |||
| Arizona | 5/2 | +200 | +175 |
| Utah | 7/2 | +300 | +400 |
| Oregon | 5/2 | +275 | +300 |
| California | 7/2 | +375 | +450 |
| USC | +2000 | +1200 | |
| Colorado | +1800 | +2000 | |
| Washington | +2800 | +3300 | |
| Oregon State | +3300 | ||
| Stanford | +6600 | ||
| Arizona State | +8000 | ||
| SEC TOURNAMENT | |||
| Kentucky | 10/11 | -120 | +125 |
| Vanderbilt | 4/1 | +450 | +350 |
| Texas A&M | 4/1 | +300 | +275 |
| Florida | 15/1 | +1200 | +1200 |
| LSU | 12/1 | +1600 | +1200 |
| South Carolina | 30/1 | +1200 | +900 |
| Georgia | 40/1 | +4000 | |
| Ole Miss | 40/1 | +3300 | +5000 |
| Arkansas | 60/1 | +2500 | +5000 |
| Alabama | 60/1 | +4800 | |
| Tennessee | +6600 | ||
| Mississippi State | +6600 | ||
| Auburn | +100000 | ||
| Field | 80/1 | +2000 |
AROUND THE WEB
At least one smaller DFS operator has already announced it will pull out of Virginia rather than pay the fees associated with the regulatory bill that was signed into law earlier this week.
The Fantasy Sports Trade Association can’t seem to make up its mind on the Virginia bill.
Speaking of the FSTA, Legal Sports Report has a look at how the organization gutted its own enforcement capabilities. One could argue that it never really had the capacity to enforce its charter in the first place, since it admittedly didn’t conduct oversight of its member companies. Still, it’s a bad look when you remove practically all language referencing repercussions for failure to comply.
A quick rundown of the Mountain West and Pac 12 tournaments from a betting perspective via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
LOOK WHO’S TALKING
“In essence, the bill is a big win for FanDuel, DraftKings, and perhaps Yahoo, which are companies that can afford the licensing fee. By contrast, the bill is a huge loss for almost everyone else in the marketplace…” —attorney and fantasy sports industry observer Marc Edelman on the regulatory bill in Virginia.
TWEETS OF NOTE
No more Megatron in Motor City. Calvin Johnson officially retires. Lions +6600 to win the Super Bowl next year. https://t.co/3wo2QEKp9x
— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL) March 8, 2016
ODDS & ENDS
- BetOnline posted AL and NL MVP odds Tuesday, making Mike Trout and Bryce Harper the favorites.
- ESPN Chalk has gathered all the futures odds from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook in one place.
- If you’re planning to be in Las Vegas for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, here’s a guide to all the locations holding watch parties.
- A former JP Morgan broker was sentenced to five years in prison after losing his clients’ money on football games.