The top seeds at March Madness dominate the odds to win the 2017 NCAA Tournament, with ACC rivals Duke and North Carolina the +600 co-favourites to win the championship this spring at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
After opening the campaign at a distant +1600 on the NCAA Tournament odds, North Carolina quickly climbed the board while marching to an ACC-best 14-4 straight-up conference record and the No. 1 seed in the South Region.
Unbeaten straight up in 14 straight first-round matchups, North Carolina is pegged as a heavy 26.5-point favourite on the March Madness betting lines for Friday’s Tar Heels vs. Texas Southern matchup at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.
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However, the Tar Heels have been a shaky first-round bet in recent years, failing to cover in three straight and going 4-5-1 against the spread over their past 10 such outings.
Duke opened as a heavy +350 favourite on the national championship odds before tumbling down the board following a mid-January swoon. However, they looked in championship form in their ACC Tournament win, earning the No. 2 seed in the East Region of the 2017 NCAA Tournament bracket.
The Blue Devils battle No. 15 Troy as big 19-point favourites on Friday night, but have been bounced from the Big Dance in their tournament opener in two of the past five years, while covering just once during that stretch, all as double-digit chalk.
The 2016 national champion Villanova Wildcats are the top seed in the East, and hold strong +750 odds to defend their crown. Villanova has claimed victory by an average margin of 30.3 points in three straight tournament-opening wins, but failed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in five tournament appearances prior to last year’s national championship win.
Kansas earned its 13th straight Big 12 title this season, and is listed at +800 to win the tournament. The Jayhawks have been a March Madness betting disappointment since winning the 2008 national championship, failing to reach the Sweet Sixteen in two of the past three years, but are unbeaten SU in their last 10 first-round appearances, going 6-4 ATS.
Kentucky enters the tournament on an 11-0 SU run and as the No. 2 seed in the South, setting the stage for Friday night’s first-round matchup with No. 15 Northern Kentucky as 19.5-point chalk.
The Wildcats are unbeaten SU in three opening-round clashes as a No. 2 seed, but failed to cover in each, and are 1-5 ATS in six tournament contests when favoured by 19 points or more.
And Gonzaga’s dreams of a perfect season vanished with a 79-71 loss to BYU as 20.5-point home chalk late in the year, but the Bulldogs still claimed the top seed in the West and hold strong +1000 odds to capture their first ever national title. Gonzaga faces South Dakota State on Thursday.
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