Madness In Review

Remember last Friday morning, when I was feeling confident because my bracket was still in great shape after the tournament’s opening day? Yeah, about that 😅

That’s what I get for putting my faith in Purdue in March. The East's top-seed, led by the heavy NPOY favorite Zach Edey, was on the wrong side of perhaps the biggest upset in college basketball history, continuing a troubling tourney trend for the Boilermakers 😬

• But Purdue certainly wasn’t the only legit contender to be sent packing. Kansas, the defending champ and the top seed in the West, was knocked out by 8-seed Arkansas in the second round, and other early victims include two 2-seeds (Arizona and Marquette) and a 3-seed (Baylor) 😳

Princeton’s Cinderella run, last minute heroics, enough Markquis Nowell highlights to make a mixtape — the first two rounds had all you could possibly want as a college hoops fan. The madness continued all the way til the end of the weekend’s last game, when we got one of the craziest beats you’ll ever see 😂

With four of the top eight pre-tourney favorites already eliminated, it’s safe to say title odds have shuffled quite a bit. Before the Sweet 16 tips off, here’s an updated look at the teams with the best chance to win it all 👇

Odds to Win 2023 Men's National Championship

• Alabama Crimson Tide: +320 (bet $100 to win $320)

• Houston Cougars: +400

• UCLA Bruins: +850

• UConn Huskies: +900

• Creighton: +950

• Texas: +1000

• Tennessee: +1100

• Gonzaga Bulldogs: +1200

Who Ya Got?

Four more wins is all that stands between the 16 remaining teams and their place in history. If the wild opening weekend has you in the market for a new school to throw your support behind, here are some options 👇

📍 The Favorite: Alabama (+320)

Alabama has leapfrogged Houston as the tournament favorite, and while that's partly due to the Cougars' sluggish starts and health concerns for their star guard Marcus Sasser, the Crimson Tide have definitely made a compelling case themselves 💪

• Even with their star player, freshman standout Brandon Miller, dealing with injury woes of his own, Bama has cruised to a pair of 20+ point victories so far. Senior guard Jahvon Quinerly balled out in the second round win over 8-seed Maryland, which you love to see 🙌

If Alabama can keep getting vintage performances from Quinerly, they're all the more dangerous. With all the other top-4 seeds already knocked out of their region, the Tide look primed for the deepest run in program history 📈

📍 Best Value: Gonzaga (+1200)

I was very tempted to go with UConn (+900) here, but with the two teams potentially on a collision course for the Elite 8, the value on an equally impressive Bulldogs' team is just a bit better 

• Of course, Gonzaga will have to get past 2-seed UCLA in the Sweet 16 first, which will be easier said than done. And to say the two teams have a tournament history recently would be an understatement 😎

Second-team All-American Drew Timme, one of March's most successful players ever, is fresh off a 28-point, 8-rebound performance over a dangerous TCU team, and he looks determined to keep Gonzaga's season going 😤

📍 The Dark Horse: Kansas State (+3000)

I've already mentioned the brilliance of K-State guard Markquis Nowell, and if you didn't get the chance to tune in to the Wildcat's first two games, you're truly missing out 🍿

• Some players just have that "it" factor when playing on college basketball's biggest stage, and Nowell seems to be of that vein. The diminutive 5'8 guard dropped 14 dimes in the first round, then made big play after big play in a second round thriller against Kentucky 🔥

Keyontae Johnson and his team-leading 17.6 PPG adds some additional star power down low, and as the top remaining seed in their region, I like the Wildcats chances of at least reaching the Final Four 👀

For My Parlay Gurus

I'll hold off on any tournament parlays until later in the week, but in the meantime I got you covered with some NBA underdog picks tonight. On the topic of Gonzaga, I'm going with former Bulldog standout Domantas Sabonis and the Kings to cover against the Celtics, and I'm also taking the Thunder to cover against the Clippers. Check it out 👇

• Kings +4.5 vs. Celtics: -112

• Thunder +6.5 vs. Clippers: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $262 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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