posted March 19, 2008 at 17:22 in NCAA B Articles

I was absolutely shocked when I hit the future/props link on the BetUS home-page, clicked on the link that took me to the futures wager page on the team to win the South Region in this years’ NCAA Tournament and saw that the Memphis Tigers were + 130.

That’s right, + 130. That’s above even money. Just to put this in perspective think about the fact that the BetUS odds on the UCLA Bruins to win the West Region is – 150. The BetUS odds on the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the East Region is – 150. The odds on the Kansas Jayhawks to win the Mid-West Region is even money.

Memphis is the only team out of the four number one seeds that’s offering above + odds to win their region. Since some college basketball prognosticators have Memphis winning the whole shebang, + 130 sure looks good, doesn’t it?

But there are other teams in this region with great odds to win the region.

Let’s get to it!

Memphis Tigers - - BetUS odds + 130 - - Fantastic odds on a team that should have no trouble getting to the third round. Of course, then they will probably have to face the Pitt Panthers. That’s a bad match-up for this team, but these guys still only lost one game during the entire season and their coach, John Calipari, took UMass to the Final Four many moons ago. They’re worth a shot at above even money.

Texas Longhorns - - BetUS odds + 300 - - Texas is a terrific team. They probably should have beaten the Kansas Jayhawks in last weekend’s Big-12 Tournament Championship game. No worries. They are worth a bet at 3 to 1 because they are the likeliest candidate to make it out of the region and into the Final Four. Yes, they are that good.

Pittsburgh Panthers - - BetUS odds + 850 - - Great odds on the team that won the Big-East Tournament. I mean, they pretty much dominated Georgetown in the championship game last weekend. They did it by playing inside and outside. They did it by hitting their free throws. This team is coming alive at the right time. The odds are good. Pitt is worth a serious wager.

Michigan State Spartans - - BetUS odds + 1200 - - Don’t ever discount Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament. They also have Drew Neitzel who will have two, maybe three, huge games in this tournament. That means that 12 to 1 are excellent odds on these guys.

Kentucky Wildcats - - BetUS odds + 3500 - - Sure, they’ve been up and down all year. But I think they should be up in the tournament. Gillispie will have his fellas ready to run and gun in the tournament and man, these dudes sure can run! They’re as athletic as any team in the tournament this year, and the fact that you are getting 35 to 1 on one of the greatest college basketball programs in history to just make the Final Four should have you wearing Lexington blue for a few days at least.

***Who I Don’t Like

Stanford Cardinal - - BetUS odds + 400 - - The odds are too low on this team. They have a great front-court, but I just don’t think they’ll have a good tournament. To me, the Pac-10 was somewhat overrated. Stanford could fall in the second round. Also, let’s not forget that these guys are named after a color and that their mascot is a tree.

Oregon Ducks - - BetUS odds + 3000 - - I like these guys more than Stanford but that’s not saying much. The Ducks have been huge disappointments this year. Hmm, there’s a bunch of dudes somewhere wondering why they aren’t in this tournament and the Ducks are. I’m wondering too.

Marquette Golden Eagles - - BetUS odds + 1200 - - Marquette has trouble playing on the road. Also, they have to face the Kentucky Wildcats in the first-round. I think they lose that game.

Miami Florida Hurricanes - - BetUS odds + 2200 - - They also have a chance of losing in the first round. These guys just aren’t playing well right now. Not good when you’re trying to make it to a Final Four. You want to be hot. These guys definitely are not.

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