The NCAA selection committee and oddsmakers at Las Vegas Sports Consultants may have more in common than one might think.
Both groups have established that Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Kentucky deserve to be the No. 1 seed in their respective regions.
Throw Kansas into the mix and you have the five schools with the lowest odds to capture this years college basketball championship.
?We made Kentucky the 2/1 favorite to go all the way,? reported LVSC odds manager Cesar Robaina. ?They certainly are the nation?s best defensive squad and I think being in the Midwest region is a definite advantage.
Arizona is next at 3/1, but it might be a bit more difficult escaping the rest of the schools in its region.
?The West region is undeniably the toughest of the bunch,? stated Robaina. ?Arizona, Kansas, Duke or Illinois are a terribly tough quartet.?
The future book numbers certainly bare out that opinion. All four schools are among the top-11 as far as lowest odds are concerned.
Texas is 6/1 to capture the title, but that school?s road might be the most difficult.
?I think the South region will be the most closely contested,? opined Robaina. ?Just take a look at the opening lines for the first-round games in that region. There might be six schools that have a legitimate chance at advancing a long way.?
Defending champion Maryland, the No. 6 seed in the South, opened at 18/1. But Robaina had some other schools in mind to be his ?sleeper? choices.
?Pittsburgh at 10/1 and Illinois at 18/1 are interesting choices if you are looking for double-digit odds,? stated Robaina.
The SEC and the Big 12 are best represented of any conference, with six schools involved in the Big Dance. The Big 10 and Pac 10 both have five schools involved in the tournament.
There was a possibility at press time of changing Thursday?s BYU-Weber State matchup to appease BYU. If the Cougars win that contest, they would play Sunday, which is contrary to the school?s religious beliefs.
Odds to win the 2003 NCAA college basketball championship, courtesy of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, appear below.
SCHOOL ODDS
KENTUCKY 2/1
ARIZONA 3/1
OKLAHOMA 5/1
KANSAS 6/1
TEXAS 6/1
PITTSBURGH 10/1
FLORIDA 10/1
DUKE 12/1
SYRACUSE 15/1
WAKE FOREST 15/1
ILLINOIS 18/1
U CONN 18/1
MARYLAND 18/1
MISS ST 18/1
LOUISVILLE 18/1
MARQUETTE 20/1
XAVIER 22/1
NOTRE DAME 25/1
MICHIGAN ST 25/1
WISCONSIN 30/1
OREGON 35/1
MEMPHIS 35/1
LSU 35/1
STANFORD 35/1
MISSOURI 50/1
CREIGHTON 50/1
OKLAHOMA ST 50/1
ST JOSEPH 50/1
DAYTON 60/1
TULSA 75/1
CINCINNATI 75/1
GONZAGA 75/1
ARIZONA ST 75/1
CALIFORNIA 75/1
N C STATE 75/1
INDIANA 100/1
ALABAMA 100/1
PURDUE 100/1
BYU 100/1
WISC MILWAUKEE 150/1
CENTRAL MICH 150/1
COLORADO 150/1
PENN 150/1
AUBURN 150/1
UTAH 200/1
SO ILLINOIS 200/1
WEBER ST 250/1
HOLY CROSS 250/1
COLORADO ST 250/1
WESTERN KY 300/1
SAN DIEGO 300/1
NC WILMINGTON 300/1
BUTLER 300/1
AUSTIN PEAY 350/1
MANHATTAN 350/1
UTAH ST 500/1
TROY STATE 500/1
WAGNER 1000/1
SAM HOUSTON 1000/1
E TENNESSEE ST 1000/1
IND PUI 3000/1
VERMONT 3000/1
SC STATE 3000/1
FIELD (ALL OTHERS) 3000/1
Both groups have established that Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Kentucky deserve to be the No. 1 seed in their respective regions.
Throw Kansas into the mix and you have the five schools with the lowest odds to capture this years college basketball championship.
?We made Kentucky the 2/1 favorite to go all the way,? reported LVSC odds manager Cesar Robaina. ?They certainly are the nation?s best defensive squad and I think being in the Midwest region is a definite advantage.
Arizona is next at 3/1, but it might be a bit more difficult escaping the rest of the schools in its region.
?The West region is undeniably the toughest of the bunch,? stated Robaina. ?Arizona, Kansas, Duke or Illinois are a terribly tough quartet.?
The future book numbers certainly bare out that opinion. All four schools are among the top-11 as far as lowest odds are concerned.
Texas is 6/1 to capture the title, but that school?s road might be the most difficult.
?I think the South region will be the most closely contested,? opined Robaina. ?Just take a look at the opening lines for the first-round games in that region. There might be six schools that have a legitimate chance at advancing a long way.?
Defending champion Maryland, the No. 6 seed in the South, opened at 18/1. But Robaina had some other schools in mind to be his ?sleeper? choices.
?Pittsburgh at 10/1 and Illinois at 18/1 are interesting choices if you are looking for double-digit odds,? stated Robaina.
The SEC and the Big 12 are best represented of any conference, with six schools involved in the Big Dance. The Big 10 and Pac 10 both have five schools involved in the tournament.
There was a possibility at press time of changing Thursday?s BYU-Weber State matchup to appease BYU. If the Cougars win that contest, they would play Sunday, which is contrary to the school?s religious beliefs.
Odds to win the 2003 NCAA college basketball championship, courtesy of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, appear below.
SCHOOL ODDS
KENTUCKY 2/1
ARIZONA 3/1
OKLAHOMA 5/1
KANSAS 6/1
TEXAS 6/1
PITTSBURGH 10/1
FLORIDA 10/1
DUKE 12/1
SYRACUSE 15/1
WAKE FOREST 15/1
ILLINOIS 18/1
U CONN 18/1
MARYLAND 18/1
MISS ST 18/1
LOUISVILLE 18/1
MARQUETTE 20/1
XAVIER 22/1
NOTRE DAME 25/1
MICHIGAN ST 25/1
WISCONSIN 30/1
OREGON 35/1
MEMPHIS 35/1
LSU 35/1
STANFORD 35/1
MISSOURI 50/1
CREIGHTON 50/1
OKLAHOMA ST 50/1
ST JOSEPH 50/1
DAYTON 60/1
TULSA 75/1
CINCINNATI 75/1
GONZAGA 75/1
ARIZONA ST 75/1
CALIFORNIA 75/1
N C STATE 75/1
INDIANA 100/1
ALABAMA 100/1
PURDUE 100/1
BYU 100/1
WISC MILWAUKEE 150/1
CENTRAL MICH 150/1
COLORADO 150/1
PENN 150/1
AUBURN 150/1
UTAH 200/1
SO ILLINOIS 200/1
WEBER ST 250/1
HOLY CROSS 250/1
COLORADO ST 250/1
WESTERN KY 300/1
SAN DIEGO 300/1
NC WILMINGTON 300/1
BUTLER 300/1
AUSTIN PEAY 350/1
MANHATTAN 350/1
UTAH ST 500/1
TROY STATE 500/1
WAGNER 1000/1
SAM HOUSTON 1000/1
E TENNESSEE ST 1000/1
IND PUI 3000/1
VERMONT 3000/1
SC STATE 3000/1
FIELD (ALL OTHERS) 3000/1
