The Westgate listed odds on 190 of the 353 Division I college basketball teams.
NCAA Tournament
Before you kick back in the barcalounger, check out these story lines to keep an eye on.
Las Vegas casino owner Derek Stevens is guaranteed to end up a winner in the NCAA Tournament after placing a $330,000 money-line wager to win $100,000 on Villanova over Michigan at the William Hill sports book.
The Wildcats and their horde of long-range shooters are playing for their second title in three years, a chance to establish a mini dynasty. The Wolverines are after their first title since 1989, hoping to grasp the trophy that slipped through coach John Beilein’s fingers in 2013.
If you were to begin a list of the best active college basketball coaches who haven’t yet won a title, you wouldn’t write many — perhaps any — before coming to John Beilein of Michigan.
Arike Ogunbowale floated in a 3-pointer from the corner with 0.1 seconds left, lifting Notre Dame to its second women’s basketball title with a thrilling 61-58 comeback victory over Mississippi State in the NCAA championship game on Sunday night.
Villanova is a 6½-point favorite over Michigan and the total is 145½ in Monday’s NCAA championship game. Here’s a survey of opinions from Review-Journal staff members, other media, oddsmakers and professional handicappers.
Key facts and matchups for Monday night’s NCAA national championship game between No. 1 Villanova and No. 3 Michigan.
The Villanova Wildcats, favored to beat Michigan on Monday night at the Alamodome, are most often compared to the Golden State Warriors.
Derek Stevens has gained priceless promotional value with his NCAA Tournament gambit. Before the tournament, the aggressively loyal Michigan grad bet $25,000 on the Wolverines to win the championship at 40-1 odds.
Michigan’s game plan used to revolve around offense, hitting enough shots to outscore teams. Sometimes it worked. Many times, often on the biggest stages, it didn’t.
Villanova took as decisive a step toward its second national championship in three years as anyone could have imagined, overwhelming a fellow No. 1 seed in Kansas 95-79 in the Final Four.
Michigan played the villain to the underdog Final Four narrative on Saturday, using a huge second-half effort to beat Loyola-Chicago 69-57 in San Antonio.
Villanova has won 10 straight games and is 8-2 ATS during the streak. The Wildcats have rolled through the NCAA Tournament, going 5-0 straight-up and ATS while winning each game by an average of 18 points.
Villanova made a Final Four-record 18 3-pointers Saturday night, playing long ball to snuff out the Kansas Jayhawks early in a 95-79 victory.