Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 March Madness men’s college basketball tournament. The defending champion UConn Huskies are the betting favorite to win back-to-back titles heading into the Sweet 16. UConn is now +200 odds to win the championship according to BetMGM, followed by Houston (+500), Purdue (+650), and Arizona (+800).
In this year’s chalk-heavy March Madness, the top eight overall teams in the tournament —all the #1 and #2 seeds — advanced to the Sweet 16. Only one double-digit seed, the #11 North Carolina State Wolfpack, are among the Sweet 16 teams.
Two #3 seeds and two #4 seeds failed to advance to the Sweet 16. In the first round, #14 Oakland upset #3 Kentucky and #13 Yale picked off #4 Auburn. In the second round, #3 Baylor and #4 Kansas both lost.
UConn Odds +200
#1 UConn blew out #16 Stetson by 39 points in the first round, and barely broke a sweat against #9 Northwestern in the second round. UConn boasts a 28-point average margin of victory so far in the tournament and they covered the point spread in both games.
UConn squares off against #5 San Diego State in the Sweet 16. This is a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s championship game when San Diego State’s magical run ended when they lost to UConn by 17 points.
UConn is the consensus championship favorite, but they’re also the betting favorite to advance to the Final Four at -250 odds.
Houston Odds +500
In the first round, #1 Houston demolished #16 Longwood with a 40-point victory. However, Houston needed an overtime win to squeak by #9 Texas A&M in the second round. Houston’s triple guard offense provided 71% of their offense against Texas A&M. Emanuel Sharp led all scorers with 30 points, while Jamal Shead added 21 points, and L.J. Cryer chipped in 20 points.
Houston will battle #4 Duke in the Sweet 16. Houston is the second favorite on the board to win the championship at +500 odds, according to a recent update by BetMGM. The Cougars are also -105 odds to advance to the Final Four and win the South Regional.
Purdue Odds +650
#1 Purdue blew out both opponents to start the tournament with an average margin of victory of 33.5 points, which includes a 39-point drubbing of #8 Utah State in the second round. Star center Zach Edey averages 26.5 points and 17.5 rebounds per game so far. He’s also shooting nearly 68% from the floor.
Purdue’s next game is against #5 Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. Purdue is the team to beat in the Midwest Regional. The Boilermakers are +135 odds to secure a trip to the Final Four, and they’re the third-overall favorite at BetMGM to win the championship at +650 odds.
North Carolina Odds +1000
In the first round, #1 North Carolina cruised by #16 Wagner with a 28-point victory. They were only a -3.5 favorite against #9 Michigan State in the second round, but knocked out Tom Izzo and the Spartans with an impressive 16-point victory.
Senior guard RJ Davis leads the Tar Heels with 21 points per game in the tournament, while senior forward Armando Bacot averages 19 points and 11 rebounds.
North Carolina meets #4 Alabama in the Sweet 16. North Carolina is +1000 odds to win the championship, but only +180 odds to win the West Regional and advance to the Final Four.
The #2 Seeds: Arizona, Tennessee, Iowa State, Marquette
As a #2 seed, Arizona defeated #15 Long Beach State by 20 points in the first round and held off #10 Dayton with a 10-point victory in the second round. Arizona, the lone Pac-12 team remaining in the tournament, meets #6 Clemson in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats are +800 odds to win the championship and +120 odds to secure a Final Four berth.
#2 Tennessee is +1200 odds to win the championship and +225 odds to win the Midwest Regional and advance to the Final Four. The Vols meet #3 Creighton in the Sweet 16.
#2 Iowa State plays in the toughest region in the tournament with UConn, San Diego State, and Illinois all still alive in the East. They face #3 Illinois in the next round, which oddsmakers think will be the closest matchup in the Sweet 16. Iowa State is the favorite, but the point spread is only 1.5 points. Iowa State is +375 odds to punch their ticket to the Final Four, and +1800 odds to win the championship.
#2 Marquette is the weakest #2 seed remaining, but they’re +1600 odds to win the championship and +225 odds to secure a trip to the Final Four. They meet #11 North Carolina State in the Sweet 16.
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Long Shots: The Other Eight
Out of the other remaining eight squads, three teams stand out with the best title odds among the long shots. #4 Duke, #5 Gonzaga, and #3 Creighton are all +2500 odds to win the championship. Out of those three teams, Duke has the best odds to advance to the Final Four at +375, followed by Gonzaga (+400) and Creighton (+450).
#3 Illinois is one of two remaining teams from the Big Ten, but they’re stuck in the “region of death” in the East. Illinois is +2800 odds to win the title and +550 odds to advance to the Final Four.
#4 Alabama, one of two remaining SEC teams, is +4000 odds to win the championship and +500 odds to advance to the Final Four.
#5 San Diego State is a long shot to win the title at +6600 odds, and +1400 odds to return to the Final Four in consecutive years if they can upset UConn in the Sweet 16.
#6 Clemson is another title long shot at +8800 odds and +1100 odds to secure a trip to the Final Four. However, #2 Arizona awaits in the Sweet 16.
#11 North Carolina State is the only double-digit seed remaining in the tournament and they’re currently playing the role of Cinderella after the Wolfpack picked off #6 Texas Tech and #14 Oakland. Despite an erratic regular season, North Carolina State is one of the hottest teams entering the Sweet 16 after running the table to win the ACC conference tournament and earn an automatic bid to March Madness.
Despite their recent success, North Carolina State is the biggest long shot on BetMGM’s futures board at +10000 odds to win the championship. They’re also +1200 odds to win two more games and advance to the Final Four.
For more on March Madness, click here to read Sweet 16: Which Teams Will Make the Final Four?
