NCAA Tournament: Our picks for all 67 games as UConn becomes one of the few repeat champions

The short list of betting favorites for the NCAA Tournament is actually tiny.

Only three of the 68 teams have single-digit odds, with the defending champion, Connecticut, as the betting frontrunner. And just six teams are currently less than 20/1.

The tiny list includes a team playing its first season in a power conference, Houston, and a team playing in the final season of a power conference, Arizona.

According to FanDuel, the betting favorites are:

UConn: 4/1
Houston: 6/1
Purdue: 7/1
Arizona: 15/1
North Carolina: 16/1
Tennessee: 16/1

(Everyone else is 20/1 or greater.)

In our view, UConn is the clear frontrunner — you could justify taking the Huskies to win the tournament at 3/1 odds.

But the best value bet among the favorites is North Carolina at 16/1.

The Tar Heels have an elite guard (RJ Davis), a premier big man (Armando Bacot) and two additional players (wing Harrison Ingram and guard Cormac Ryan) capable of making big shots in the final minutes of a close game.

And they are better defensively than in previous seasons.

But the Tar Heels, seeded No. 1 in the West, have one problem: The player who led them into the Final Four two years ago stands ready to prevent them from returning.

Guard Caleb Love, who averaged 18.8 points for UNC in the 2022 tournament, is the leading scorer for the No. 2 seed, Arizona.

If form holds in the West, the Tar Heels and Wildcats will collide in the Elite Eight at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on March 30.

Our picks for all 67 games are as follows …

East

Overview: Arguably the toughest region with three Power Five conference tournament winners (UConn from the Big East, Iowa State from the Big 12 and Auburn from the SEC) plus three of last year’s Final Four participants (UConn, Florida Atlantic and San Diego State). Beware of Drake, the Missouri Valley winner with one of the nation’s best players you’ve never heard of: guard Tucker DeVries. Loaded as the region might be, we are skeptical that anyone can beat UConn with the regionals in Boston.

First round: UConn over Stetson, Florida Atlantic over Northwestern, San Diego State over UAB, Yale over Auburn, Brigham Young over Duquesne, Illinois over Morehead State, Drake over Washington State and Iowa State over South Dakota State

Second round: UConn over Florida Atlantic, San Diego State over Yale, Illinois over BYU and Drake over Iowa State

Sweet 16: UConn over San Diego State and Drake over Illinois

Elite Eight: UConn over Drake

West

Overview: If the strength of a region is defined by the quality of its Nos. 3-4-5 seeds, then the West looks weak with Baylor, Alabama and Saint Mary’s in those spots. Two players to watch here are Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II and Grand Canyon guard Tyon Grant-Foster. Does New Mexico have enough fuel left after winning the Mountain West tournament? Can legendary Michigan State coach Tom Izzo conjure one more deep run through March? This region is primed for a No. 1 vs. 2 showdown in L.A.

First round: North Carolina over Howard, Michigan State over Mississippi State, Grand Canyon over Saint Mary’s, Alabama over Charleston, Clemson over New Mexico, Baylor over Colgate, Dayton over Nevada and Arizona over Long Beach State

Second round: North Carolina over Michigan State, Alabama over Grand Canyon, Baylor over Clemson and Arizona over Dayton

Sweet 16: North Carolina over Alabama and Arizona over Baylor

Elite Eight: Arizona over North Carolina

South

Overview: The nation’s best player, Houston guard Jamal Shead, resides in the South and could face two of the sport’s biggest names (Duke and Kentucky) on his road to the Final Four. Colorado has far more talent than its No. 10 seed suggests. N.C. State won five games in five days in the ACC tournament. Can the miracle run continue? Injury to watch: Is Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek (oblique) healthy enough to make an impact? If not, the Golden Eagles will exit early. Vermont over Duke? Probably not.

First round: Houston over Longwood, Nebraska over Texas A&M, James Madison over Wisconsin, Duke over Vermont, Texas Tech over N.C. State, Kentucky over Oakland, Colorado over Florida and Marquette over Western Kentucky

Second round: Houston over Nebraska, Duke over James Madison, Kentucky over Texas Tech and Marquette over Colorado

Sweet 16: Houston over Duke and Kentucky over Marquette

Elite Eight: Houston over Kentucky

Midwest

Overview: There is immense pressure on Purdue, which lost in the first round as a No. 4 seed in 2021 and as the No. 1 seed in 2023 (to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson). Don’t sleep on McNeese State, which won 30 games and the Southland Conference title. One team has two key injuries: Kansas needs big man Hunter Dickinson and guard Kevin McCullar healthy to survive the first weekend. Creighton claims one of the nation’s best backcourts with Baylor Scheierman in the leading role. The Midwest is more vulnerable to complete chaos than any other region.

First round: Purdue over Montana State, TCU over Utah State, McNeese State over Gonzaga, Kansas over Samford, Oregon over South Carolina, Creighton over Akron, Colorado State over Texas and Tennessee over Saint Peter’s

Second round: Purdue over TCU, Kansas over McNeese State, Creighton over Oregon and Tennessee over Colorado State

Sweet 16: Purdue over Kansas and Creighton over Tennessee

Elite Eight: Creighton over Purdue

Final Four

Overview: State Farm Stadium in Glendale will be packed with Arizona fans for the semifinals. No matter. The Wildcats cannot stop the UConn steamroller. (Nor can Houston in the title game, despite Shead’s best efforts.) Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley won back-to-back titles as a player (with Duke). His brother, Danny, will celebrate back-to-back championships as a coach when the Huskies become the first repeat winner since Florida in 2006-07.

Semifinals: UConn over Arizona and Houston over Creighton

Championship: UConn 81, Houston 68

That’s it, folks: 67 games and 67 winners.

You can thank me later.

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