Handicapping the West Region Odds for March Madness

• Kansas has +1200 odds to win 2023 March Madness and +300 odds to win West Region.
• TCU is the dark horse of the West, with +900 odds to advance to the Final Four.
• UCLA has +350 odds to win March Madness and went 28-2 SU straight up this season as the favorite.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The 2022 March Madness champions are entering the 2023 tournament tied with the third shortest title odds, as the Kansas Jayhawks are the number one seed in the West.

While they lost in the Big 12 championship game, the Jayhawks still have favorable future odds at +1200 for the tournament and are the current favorite to take the west and head to the Final Four at legal college basketball betting sites.

West Region Winner Odds

• Kansas +300
• UCLA +350
• Gonzaga +400
• Connecticut +550
• TCU +900
• Saint Mary’s CA +1000
• Arkansas +2000
• Illinois +2200
• Northwestern +3500

Kansas won seven of their last eight regular season games, are entering the tournament with an 88.9%-win percentage when playing as the favorite. With Texas competing in the Midwest bracket, Kansas should be favored for every game they play in the West.

Should Bettors Back TCU?

While they fell to the eventual Big 12 Champion in Texas, TCU handled their own against ranked opponents during the 2023 season. The Horned Frogs split their matchups with both Texas and Kansas during the regular season and won both games against Kansas State.

TCU will start the tournament against the winner of the Arizona St. and Nevada game and would be the favorite by legal sportsbooks. TCU has gone 16-5 SU when playing as the favorite and 5-7 as the underdog this season.

As TCU has shown they can pull off an upset, they have gone 6-7 against ranked opponents and bettors could find value in their +900 odds to win the West Region but have not shown that they have the stamina to win the entire tournament at +3500.

Should UCLA be Favored Over Kansas?

Both UCLA and Kansas are top seeds for March Madness after falling in the final of their conference championship game. The difference between the two teams, the Bruins won 12 straight games before the Pac 12 tournament loss.

UCLA did not lose a single game as the home favorite during the 2022-23 season and went 28-2 SU as the favorite and has +1400 odds to win the entire tournament.

News tags: College Basketball | Kansas Jayhawks | March Madness | NCAAM | TCU Horned Frogs | Texas Longhorns | UCLA Bruins