With the Southeast Regional covered, it’s time to cover the West. This region is topped off by the defending national champions but some other national powerhouses are not too far behind in the regional odds.
Duke (30-4) is the favorite to win the West Regional with San Diego State (32-2), Connecticut (26-9) and Texas (27-7) at short odds next.
Duke is the No. 1 seed in the region and won the ACC Tournament over North Carolina in the championship game despite losing the regular season title to Tar Heels by a game. The Blue Devils have been to 15 Final Fours in school history, including last year’s national title run.
San Diego State has been improving quite a bit over the past few years. The Aztecs’ only two losses came to BYU this year. They are the No. 2 seed and have never reached the Final Four. SDSU won the Mountain West Tournament but shared the regular season title with BYU.
Connecticut is the third seed in the region and is one of the hottest teams right now for your college basketball betting. The Huskies are coming off a championship at the loaded Big East Tournament where they won five games in five days. They have reached three Final Fours in school history, the latest being 2009.
Texas is the fourth seed and finished second in the regular season and tournament behind Kansas in the Big 12. The Longhorns have reached three Final Fours, the latest coming in 2003.
NCAA Tournament West Regional Second Round Match Odds (provided by William Hill)
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Hampton
Duke: 1/100
Hampton: 20/1
Point Spread: Duke -22.5
Over/Under: 134.5
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Tennessee
Michigan: 11/10
Tennessee: 10/13
Point Spread: Tennessee -2
Over/Under: 127.5
Tennessee is my upset pick to beat Michigan. Michigan is overrated as a No. 8 seed. Michigan is more of a finesse team, which works to Tennessee’s favor. And, Bruce Pearl knows how to get Tennessee ready for big games, like the win over Pittsburgh.
No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 12 Memphis
Arizona: 2/5
Memphis: 21/10
Point Spread: Arizona -6
Over/Under: 139
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 13 Oakland
Texas: 1/5
Oakland: 7/2
Point Spread: Texas -9.5
Over/Under: 154
No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Missouri
Cincinnati: 10/11
Missouri: 10/11
Point Spread: 0
Over/Under: 137.5
Missouri is my upset pick to beat Cincinnati. Cincinnati got this seed because of how well they played against a depleted Georgetown team. Though Missouri shows weakness on defense, it has more scorers and tournament experience than Cincinnati. If Missouri plays an up-and-down game, Cincinnati will be in trouble.
No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 14 Bucknell
Connecticut: 1/6
Bucknell: 4/1
Point Spread: Connecticut -10
Over/Under: 132
No. 7 Temple vs. No. 10 Penn State
Temple: 20/29
Penn State: 5/4
Point Spread: Temple -2.5
Over/Under: 121.5
No. 2 SDSU vs. No. 15 Northern Colorado
SDSU: 1/20
Northern Colorado: 10/1
Point Spread: SDSU -15.5
Over/Under: 130