Well, has all this Madness left your bankroll plump or pathetic? Either way, bettors have a few days to regroup before the Sweet 16 tips off Thursday in what has been another thrilling, upset-filled NCAA tournament.
Kansas replaced Ohio State as the favorite to win the tournament, thanks to a rash of upsets that has left the Jayhawks with by far the smoothest path to the Final Four. Kansas is now +225, a 9/4 favorite, to win it all at
Bodog.com. The Jayhawks began the tournament at +450.
The Buckeyes, the No. 1 overall seed, began the tournament as +350 favorites, but now face a rugged path against Kentucky on Friday and possibly No. 2 seed North Carolina in the Elite 8. Ohio State is currently +275 (11/4).
Defending national champion Duke is next at +400. Last year’s runner-up Butler is a 50/1 longshot
Pointspreads for the Sweet 16 matchups began popping up Saturday night and into Sunday.
Las Vegas oddsmaker Pete Korner, who provides lines for both Nevada and offshore sportsbooks, shared his Sunday overnight opening numbers with Covers.com.
Some lines are already on the move.
THURSDAYWest Region, Anaheim, Calif.Connecticut vs. San Diego State (PK, 130.5): Korner opened the second-seeded Aztecs as 1.5-point favorites. By Monday, most Vegas and offshore books had UConn as a 1-point favorite. Several books had the game listed as a Pick ‘em.
Arizona vs. Duke (-9, 145): This one caught professional handicapper and Covers Expert Sean Murphy’s attention as soon as it popped onto the board.
“I'm a little surprised that Arizona opened at +9,” Murphy wrote in an email. “The Wildcats won't be too far from home in Anaheim and should have plenty of crowd support. Coaching is key at this stage of the tournament, and Arizona is in good shape with Sean Miller. They're a young team, but at this point, they're playing with house money.”
Southeast Region, New Orleans
BYU vs. Florida (-2.5, 150): The Cougars eliminated the Gators in last year’s first round of the NCAA tournament. Jimmer Fredette had 37 points in BYU’s 99-92 overtime win.
This is the highest total of any of the Sweet 16 matchups.
Butler vs. Wisconsin (-4, 124.5): The betting market is finally starting to believe in Butler. Korner sent out Wisconsin -5, but this number was dropping on Monday and could be found as low as -3.5.
Butler is 7-3 against the spread in the NCAA tournament under coach Brad Stevens.
This is lowest total on any of the Sweet 16 matchups and figures to be played at a methodical pace.
FRIDAYEast Region, Newark, N.J.Marquette vs. North Carolina (-4.5, 147): This number opened as high as -6 at some outlets, but had been steadily dropping as of Monday afternoon.
Kentucky vs. Ohio State (-5, 140): Books are drooling in anticipation of the handle this matchup of huge public favorites will generate. The more-experienced Buckeyes are two-possession favorites against a Kentucky team again loaded with future NBA talent.
Korner sent out Ohio State -5 and that number had not budged as of Monday afternoon.
Southwest Region, San Antonio, Tex
Richmond vs. Kansas (-10.5, 138): The largest spread of the Sweet 16 has been coming down since Korner sent out the Jayhawks as 11-point favorites late Sunday. The Spiders have covered the spread in 10 of their last 11, but will have to find a way to matchup with Kansas’ Morris twins inside.
Virginia Commonwealth vs. Florida State (-3, 130): The Seminol