March Madness betting insights: UConn tops most-backed teams to win title
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The NCAA Tournament's tipoff is quickly approaching, so most people have already filled out their brackets and picked their champions.
Bettors have backed UConn - the tournament favorite at +370 - the most as the school looks to defend its national title.
As of Wednesday, the top-ranked Huskies have amassed 12.3% of the bets placed on the tournament winner and 16.5% of the handle (total money wagered) placed at a combination of theScore Bet and ESPN Bet, two sportsbooks operated by Penn Entertainment.
Here most bet on teams ahead of Thursday's opening-round action:
| Team (Seed) | Odds | % of Bets | % of Handle |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn (1) | +370 | 12.32% | 16.47% |
| UNC (1) | +1300 | 8.83% | 8.13% |
| Purdue (1) | +600 | 8.76% | 11.16% |
| Houston (1) | +550 | 8.40% | 9.32% |
| Kentucky (3) | +2500 | 6.77% | 7.59% |
| Arizona (2) | +1300 | 6.44% | 6.49% |
| Tennessee (2) | +1600 | 5.48% | 5.59% |
| Auburn (4) | +1800 | 4.17% | 3.89% |
| Marquette (2) | +2500 | 3.50% | 3.28% |
| Iowa State (2) | +2000 | 3.20% | 2.71% |
| Duke (4) | +3000 | 2.96% | 2.78% |
Not surprisingly, most backed the No. 1 seeds to win the tournament. North Carolina has the longest odds of the four at +1300 - the same odds as fellow West Region squad Arizona, a No. 2 seed.
Kentucky has the fifth-most bets despite being tied for ninth on the oddsboard with Creighton and Marquette.
NC State (11) at 150-1 has received the 11th-most bets and 12th-most money wagered in the last two weeks - more than Marquette, Duke, Illinois, Alabama, and Baylor.
Yale (13) received the fewest bets to win the championship.
As for the first-round matchups, Samford (13) is the most-backed underdog in its quest to upset No. 4 Kansas. So far, the former has received 73% of the handle on the game's moneyline and 79% of the handle on the spread.
Fellow underdogs McNeese State (12), James Madison (12), and Grand Canyon (12) have also accumulated at least 65% of the moneyline handle.