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NCAA Basketball Odds: Never too early for March Madness
By Jordan WaltersWagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
Sure, there are a few months until it's actually NCAA Championship time, but WagerWeb.com is offering bettors the chance to wager on which men's basketball teams they think will advance through the 65-team bracket.
The early basketball betting odds on the schools making the Final Four favor North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and Georgetown.
North Carolina (+400) is the favorite to cut down the nets in on April 7, 2008, at San Antonio's Alamodome - and for good reason. Coach Roy Williams' Tar Heels were the preseason No. 1 team in the country and have gotten off to their best start since 1998-99.
Led by Player of the Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina already has beaten Kentucky and Ohio State handily. UNC's only real test thus far was surviving an opening night scare against Davidson.
Hansbrough is averaging more than 21 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game and is one of the early front-runners for Player of the Year honors. This team is young, with the top eight players in Williams' rotation being sophomores or juniors.
Memphis and UCLA are the second-favorites at WagerWeb.com to win it all, both listed at +500.
The Tigers, No. 2 in the country, have handled early challenges from Oklahoma, Connecticut and Southern California. Memphis is heavily reliant on two players: junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman guard Derrick Rose. Douglas-Roberts averages 20.1 points and just over 6 rebounds a game, while Rose, arguably the nation's best freshman, is averaging almost 16 points and 6 rebounds a game. Coach John Calipari's club has the benefit of playing in a weak Conference USA, so another top seed for the NCAA Tournament is nearly a lock.
UCLA, meanwhile, has one loss on the season - to top-10 team Texas. The Bruins played much of the early season without star point guard Darren Collison, and they beat another top-10 caliber club in Michigan State. Freshman Kevin Love hasn't played like one, leading the team in points and rebounds. The Bruins have reached the Final Four the past two seasons.
WagerWeb.com's odds-on favorite to join UNC, Memphis and UCLA in the Final Four and the fourth favorite at +800 to win the national title is Georgetown. The Hoyas have yet to face a ranked team (they face Memphis on Dec. 22) but are still among the unbeaten teams in college basketball.
Georgetown is led by a senior, a rarity these days, in center Roy Hibbert. The 7-footer thought about entering the NBA draft but decided to return and is averaging a little more than 14 points and nearly 8 rebounds per game.
Here are the top ten teams with odds to make it to the second round, sweet 16, elite 8, final four and win the championship:
| Win | Final 4 | Elite 8 | Sweet 16 | 2nd Round | |
| North Carolina | +$400 | -$125 | -$250 | -$500 | -$2000 |
| Memphis | +$500 | +$100 | -$200 | -$400 | -$1500 |
| UCLA | +$500 | +$100 | -$200 | -$400 | -$800 |
| Georgetown | +$800 | +$160 | -$125 | -$250 | -$500 |
| Duke | +$1000 | +$200 | +$100 | -$200 | -$600 |
| Kansas | +$1100 | +$220 | +$110 | -$185 | -$500 |
| Louisville | +$1300 | +$260 | +$130 | -$170 | -$320 |
| Tennessee | +$1400 | +$280 | +$140 | -$150 | -$300 |
| Indiana | +$1800 | +$360 | +$180 | -$120 | -$230 |
| Michigan State | +$2000 | +$400 | +$200 | +$100 | -$200 |
To check out the rest of the teams, click here.
About WagerWeb
WagerWeb.com, founded in 1997, is a privately held, offshore online gaming company, fully licensed and located in San Jose, Costa Rica. With almost 10 years of experience, innovation and gaming technology, Wagerweb.com features a sportsbook, a racebook and casino and has accepted more than 50,000,000 wagers since the company's launch.
