NCAA Tournament Betting: Public Pounds Gonzaga, Lukewarm On Michigan

Can you rephrase this sentence?

In 2021, there was an abundance of upsets in the NCAA Tournament that took many Michigan sports bettors by surprise.

What impact do the upsets from last week have on the upcoming games this weekend? Additionally, which team is favored by the public to win March Madness?

Many of NCAA Tournament’s big names fall off the board

In the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, we witnessed the elimination of top-ranked team Illinois, along with two second-seeded teams Ohio State and Iowa, and three third-seeded teams Kansas, West Virginia, and Texas.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, four of those teams ranked within the top 10 in betting handle for winning the national championship.

The handle for Illinois to win it all accounted for 17%, whereas Iowa received only 4%.

At present, PointsBet Sportsbook considers Gonzaga, the undefeated No. 1 seed, as the frontrunner to win the NCAA Tournament with odds of +155. The Bulldogs initially started as the favorite at +210 last weekend.

Baylor’s odds to win it all have surged to +380 from +925 since last Friday. Meanwhile, Michigan, the only Big Ten school left in the tournament, has stabilized at +700 after starting at +925.

Following their dominant 71-58 win over Illinois, Loyola Chicago has experienced a significant jump in their odds. Previously listed at +7000, the No. 8 seed has now improved to +1200.

Gonzaga heavily backed to win title

According to DraftKings, Gonzaga is currently leading in terms of the highest amount of bets placed on them to win the NCAA Tournament.

Currently, the Bulldogs have garnered a 27% share of the total amount wagered, along with 16% of all bets placed, in their pursuit of the championship.

Michigan is the following team in the running, receiving 9% of both the handle and the wagers.

It comes as no surprise that Gonzaga is receiving 72% of the betting action to emerge victorious in the West Region, making them the favored team with odds of -295.

Despite having +200 odds to reach the Final Four, Michigan is only attracting 10% of the handle as the East Region winner. Among the remaining four teams in the East, Alabama is receiving the highest amount of money, with 22% of the handle and 24% of the bets, despite having +225 odds.

Baylor, a -182 favorite in the South Region, is receiving 31% of the handle. In the Midwest Region, Illinois is attracting 61% of the handle. Among the remaining four teams, Houston stands at the top with only 12% of the handle as a +300 underdog.

Where we’ve bet wrong

NCAA Tournament betting upsets sparked intense public sentiment towards the opening-round games.

Last week, Purdue was one of the most supported teams in a game against North Texas, where they held the No. 4 seed while their opponents held the No. 13 seed. Despite being a 7.5-point favorite and having 69% of the handle in their favor, the Boilermakers unfortunately lost the game with a score of 78-69.

The No. 12 seed Georgetown was a popular choice for an upset against No. 5 seed Colorado. Despite being 5.5-point underdogs, the Hoyas had 64% of the bets placed on them. However, the Buffaloes dominated the game, defeating the Hoyas 96-73 and leaving no room for doubt.

No. 12 Winthrop was a trendy choice for an upset victory. Despite being 6.5-point underdogs against No. 5 Villanova, the Eagles received 60% of the betting action. However, Winthrop fell short in a 73-63 defeat.

Where we’ve bet right

Despite the presence of unexpected outcomes, the general public displayed substantial support for major upsets in NCAA Tournament betting, as well as outcomes that were closely contested like a coin toss.

Despite being 8-point underdogs, the majority of people had a positive outlook and showed strong support for No. 12 Oregon State in their game against No. 5 Tennessee. The Beavers received 66% of the bets placed on the game. In an impressive turn of events, they emerged victorious with a final score of 70-56.

Oklahoma was a popular choice among the public and they delivered. As the No. 8 seed, they were favored by one point against No. 9 Missouri. With 65% of the bets placed on them, the Sooners secured a 72-68 win.

Public strongly behind Oral Roberts

The public holds strong opinions regarding the regional semifinal games happening this weekend.

Oral Roberts is dominating the competition in their respective game like no other team. The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles have already defeated second-seeded Ohio State (75-72 OT) and No. 7 Florida (81-78) in the Midwest region. Despite being considered underdogs by 11 points, they will face No. 3 Arkansas at 7:25 p.m. on Saturday.

Based on Covers.com’s bet-tracking charts, Oral Roberts is receiving 75% of the wagers placed for this game. The Eagles have successfully covered the spread in all five of their playoff games this season.

The top pick in the tournament, Gonzaga, and the strong ACC team, Syracuse, are receiving the second-highest support. Each team has garnered 67% of the bets placed on their individual games.

No. 5 Creighton will face the Bulldogs as a 13.5-point underdog at 2:10 p.m. on Sunday. On the other hand, No. 2 Houston will go against the 11th-seeded Orange, who are seen as a 6-point underdog at 9:55 p.m. on Saturday.

Michigan is currently receiving 56% of the bets as they enter the game as 2.5-point favorites against No. 4 Florida State at 5 p.m. on Sunday. In the past 18 NCAA Tournament games, Juwan Howard’s team has covered the spread 12 times as favorites. However, there is a high chance that senior Isaiah Livers will not be playing due to his ongoing recovery from a stress fracture in his foot.

Please rewrite the following sentence:<br><br>”I will be attending the meeting tomorrow at 2 pm.”