Betting On The East And West Regions Of March Madness

• The Gonzaga Bulldogs are heavily favored to win the West Region with -250 odds.
• The Michigan Wolverines are favored to win the East Region with +190 odds.
• The Iowa Hawkeyes have +400 odds to win the West Region and could be a solid sleeper pick.

INDIANAPOLIS—The name March Madness has really lived up to its name after the conclusion of the First Round. It has really proven that any team can defeat any team and bettors should take that into consideration when betting on the regional futures odds.

Legal online sportsbooks have futures odds for both the East and West Regions of March Madness. Sitting at the top of the East Region are the Michigan Wolverines and at the top of the West Region are the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Michigan is sitting at the top of the East Region odds boards being that they are the top seed in the region, however, they are not ahead by much which should be a sign for bettors not to be so quick to jump on their odds. The Wolverines did come out on top in their First Round matchup with the Texas Southern Tigers, but overall they are 3-3 in their last six games.

Following Michigan are the Alabama Crimson Tide who have given a new look to the Tide and have proven that they are not just a football school. Their college basketball odds are right up there and rightfully so as they took down the Iona Gaels in the First Round easily by 13 points and are also currently on a seven-game win streak as well. If Alabama is able to use this momentum in the Second Round and beyond, they can definitely give Michigan a run for their money.

Something else to take note of though is the path that Alabama has. They have a Second Round matchup with the #10 seed Maryland Terripans where they are 5.5-point favorites and would go on to face either the #11 seed UCLA Bruins or the #14 seed, Abilene Christian Wildcats, in which they would likely be heavy favorites against. That said, they have arguably the easiest route to make it out of the region.

The West Region odds for March Madness have one team that is heavily out in front and that is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga has played at the next level all season long which has led them to an undefeated 26-0 on the season. They came out in the First Round not having skipped a beat at all as they put on a 98-55 win over the Norfolk State Spartans in which they went in as 33-point favorites and pushed the spread. Bettors should have no questions when it comes to betting on Gonzaga to win the West Region of the bracket.

With the second shortest odds to win the West Region are the Iowa Hawkeyes who surprisingly have “longshot” odds. Iowa has been on a tear all season long and have carried that momentum into March Madness already following their 86-74 win over Grand Canyon University.

Some things to take away from Iowa is that they have arguably the best player in the country on their side in Luka Garza who is averaging 23.7 ppg and 8.7 rpg and is among the favorites to win the John R. Wooden Award. With that said, there is no reason bettors should be waiting any longer to hop on their odds before they get any shorter for the best possible payout.

News tags: Alabama Crimson Tide | College Basketball | East Region | Gonzaga Bulldogs | Iowa Hawkeyes | March Madness | Michigan Wolverines | NCAA Basketball | NCAA Tournament | West Region