by Sportsbook.com - 03/07/2006
The wildest party in sports is just around the corner, but before March Madness officially gets underway with Selection Sunday this weekend, bubble teams, national powerhouses and schools from one-bid conferences will be battling for bragging rights, automatic bids and one last chance to make a good impression for the NCAA tournament selection committee. It.s conference championship week and Sportsbook.com has odds on all the tournaments.
The tightest conference to call seems to be the SEC where Florida, Tennessee and LSU all sit at 9-4 co-favorites to win the title. The PAC 10 and Big 10 are also anyone.s guess as no team has stood out from the pack the entire season, despite having several nationally ranked teams. UCLA is the favorite to win the PAC 10 at 7-5, followed closely by Washington at 2-1 and California at 9-2. Illinois, last year.s NCAA tournament finalists, are 8-5 favorites in the Big 10 with Ohio State on their heels at 3-2 and Iowa at 9-2.
The top two teams in the latest poll, Connecticut and Villanova, will battle each other for the Big East crown. Connecticut is the favorite, an even pick, with Villanova at 2-1. Duke, the pre-season favorite to win the national championship is an even pick in the ACC, followed by the surprising defending national champions, North Carolina, at 5-1.
Other favorites include George Washington in the Atlantic 10, Texas in the Big 12, Memphis in Conference USA, San Diego State in the Mountain West, Nevada in the WAC and Pacific in the Big West.
.Everybody bets on March Madness. It's one of the biggest betting events of the year, but more and more people are starting to bet on the conference tournaments,. said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com. .There is just so much on the line in these tournaments and the passion runs deep - it.s a great lead-in to March Madness..
The NCAA Basketball Tournament's field of 65 teams will be revealed live on Sunday, March 12 on CBS. The tournament begins on March 15 with the national championships final on April 3.
A full list of odds can be found at Sportsbook.com.