With just hours until the opening tipoff to March Madness, plenty of people have already filled out their brackets and made their picks to win the national championship.
Duke, the tournament's top seed, is drawing the most bets to cut down the nets in Indianapolis on theScore Bet. The Blue Devils are listed at +320 to be crowned champions and have amassed a whopping 18.29% of the handle (money wagered) and 12.39% of the total bets.
Championship winner betting splits
| Team (Seed) | Odds | % of handle | % of bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke (1) | +320 | 18.29% | 12.39% |
| Michigan (1) | +375 | 14.19% | 11.39% |
| Arizona (1) | +390 | 12.66% | 10.55% |
| UConn (2) | +2200 | 7.53% | 7.60% |
| Florida (1) | +750 | 7.41% | 7.68% |
| Houston (2) | +1200 | 7.30% | 7.50% |
| Purdue (2) | +2200 | 5.04% | 4.09% |
| Kansas (4) | +6600 | 2.91% | 3.10% |
| Michigan St. (3) | +5000 | 2.09% | 3.31% |
The top three schools - Duke, Michigan, and Arizona - account for 45.14% of all money wagered on the championship winner market. Both bettors and oddsmakers agree that those programs are the clear favorites to win it all.
Despite being tied for seventh on the oddsboard, UConn has garnered the fifth-most handle at +2200. Competing in the East Region with the Blue Devils, the Huskies would have to pull off the upset should the two teams meet in the Elite Eight.
Defending champion Florida has the longest odds of all the 1-seeds and is being treated as such by bettors. Only 7.41% of the handle and 7.68% of all bets placed are backing the Gators to repeat.
East Region betting splits
| Team (Seed) | Odds | % of handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke (1) | -125 | 57.12% | 65.49% |
| Kansas (4) | +1500 | 12.24% | 2.82% |
| St. John's (5) | +900 | 7.95% | 8.88% |
| Michigan St. (3) | +700 | 6.29% | 9.73% |
| Ohio St. (8) | +2500 | 6.28% | 0.63% |
| UConn (2) | +550 | 5.47% | 9.52% |
Duke is the -125 favorite to win the East Region. The Blue Devils have received 57.12% of the handle to advance out of the region, closely aligning with their 55.6% implied probability.
UConn is the fourth-most-bet team to win the tournament, yet bettors are showing far less confidence in the Huskies' chances to make it out of the East, with only 5.47% of the handle backing them.
Ohio State has brought in 6.28% of the handle but only 0.63% of the total bets, indicating that a handful of very large wagers on the Buckeyes at +2500 to win the region are skewing the numbers.
South Region betting splits
| Team (Seed) | Odds | % of handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (1) | +170 | 43.03% | 51.13% |
| Houston (2) | +250 | 31.43% | 31.44% |
| Vanderbilt (5) | +1200 | 12.71% | 4.76% |
| Illinois (3) | +325 | 8.00% | 7.14% |
There's a clear top four picks to win the South Region, with the Gators leading the way.
Illinois, sharing the same odds as UConn (+2200) to win the tournament, may be flying under the radar. The Fighting Illini weren't among the top nine in championship bets and aren't getting much respect in their own region. Although they sit seventh in KenPom's rankings, the betting market remains unconvinced.
West Region betting splits
| Team (Seed) | Odds | % of handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona (1) | -120 | 79.15% | 67.53% |
| Arkansas (4) | +1000 | 8.48% | 10.19% |
| Purdue (2) | +370 | 6.32% | 12.33% |
| BYU (6) | +5000 | 2.32% | 2.11% |
| Wisconsin (5) | +1500 | 1.45% | 2.38% |
| Gonzaga (3) | +600 | 1.34% | 3.45% |
Arizona has accounted for 79.15% of the handle wagered on the West Region winner, surpassing its -120 odds (54.5% implied probability). That signals that the Wildcats are an extremely popular pick among bettors, while the sharps are either backing other teams or completely avoiding this market.
Midwest Region betting splits
| Team (Seed) | Odds | % of handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan (1) | -120 | 56.83% | 62.97% |
| Iowa St. (2) | +300 | 14.48% | 21.50% |
| Virginia (3) | +1100 | 9.99% | 6.00% |
| Alabama (4) | +1400 | 9.02% | 3.53% |
| Kentucky (7) | +4000 | 4.31% | 1.09% |
Michigan is the favorite to claim the Midwest Region. The Wolverines are seeing similar support to reach the Final Four as Duke, but much less love than Arizona.
Iowa State is bettors' second option in this region, with the odds suggesting that one of the top two seeds will be the winner. Virginia, meanwhile, has the third-shortest odds at +1100, making it the longest shot among the 3-seeds in all four regions.
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