Gators, once 80-1, would take bite out of books with NCAA title win
Florida was an 80-1 long shot at the Westgate SuperBook in late November to win the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators dipped to 60-1 in December and were still available at 40-1 in early February before becoming one of the favorites to win it all during a hot streak that has seen them win and cover 12 of their past 13 games, including their last six.
Florida is now the +350 co-favorite with Duke and one of the biggest liabilities at Las Vegas sportsbooks to cut down the nets April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“It’s just crazy how fast this stuff moves,” SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said. “Right now, most people, when they do a bracket on TV, they would pick Florida to win. With Cooper Flagg being hurt, there are some question marks about Duke.”
A BetMGM bettor wagered $100,000 to win $900,000 on Florida to win the national championship at 9-1 odds.
Duke, which opened at 11-1 at BetMGM to win its first national title since 2015, also is one of the biggest liabilities at books.
“At the very top of the market, we don’t do well to (coach) Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils,” Caesars Sportsbook college basketball lead Rich Zanco said.
Flagg, a freshman phenom considered one of college basketball’s best players, missed the past two games for the Blue Devils after suffering an ankle injury in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. Scheyer said the goal is for Flagg to play in Duke’s first-round game Friday against the winner of the First Four matchup between American and Mount Saint Mary’s.
“Cooper Flagg’s health is a question mark, but we expect action to pour in on Duke if Flagg can play,” BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. “Along with Duke, Florida and Michigan State are teams we don’t want to cut down the nets.”
The Spartans, who were as high as 60-1, are now tied with Saint John’s as the 25-1 seventh choice to win it all.
St. John’s odds slashed
A BetMGM bettor wagered $2,000 to win $100,000 on St. John’s at 50-1 after it opened at 80-1.
The Red Storm, coached by Rick Pitino, are one of the biggest liabilities at the South Point and a loser for the Westgate, which took a $1,000 wager to win $50,000 (50-1) and two $600 bets to win $36,000 each (60-1) in October on St. John’s.
But Salmons isn’t too concerned.
“I don’t believe they’re good enough to beat the really good teams,” he said. “It was one of the worst years the Big East has had in a long time.”
Georgia is a six-figure loser at the Westgate, where it’s 500-1, and one of the largest liabilities at Caesars, which took a $1,000 wager to win $750,000 on March 4 on the Bulldogs at 750-1.
UC San Diego, a 2½-point underdog to Michigan in the first round, is one of the biggest liabilities at the Westgate, which took a $100 wager to win $500,000 on the Tritons in February at 5,000-1. Caesars took a $300 bet to win $300,000 on UC San Diego on Jan. 31 in Nevada at 1,000-1.
‘Top-heavy tournament’
Notable bets at Caesars on favorites include a $10,000 wager to win $220,000 on Houston that was placed in June at 22-1. The Cougars are now the 7-1 fourth choice at the book.
Caesars also took a $30,000 wager to win $105,000 on Auburn on March 3 in Nevada at +350. The Tigers, who opened at 30-1 at BetMGM, are now the +450 third pick at Caesars.
Salmons expects one of the top-seeded teams to win the title.
“It’s probably the most top-heavy tournament I’ve seen in a long time,” he said. “The 1s and 2s are really good.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
NCAA Tournament odds At Westgate SuperBook Duke +350 Florida +350 Auburn +450 Houston 6-1 Alabama 16-1 Tennessee 18-1 Michigan State 25-1 St. John's 25-1 Texas Tech 25-1 Gonzaga 30-1 Iowa State 30-1 Arizona 50-1 Maryland 50-1 Wisconsin 60-1 BYU 80-1 Illinois 80-1 Kansas 80-1 Kentucky 80-1 Missouri 80-1 Texas A&M 80-1 Clemson 100-1 Creighton 100-1 Louisville 100-1 Marquette 100-1 Michigan 100-1 Ole Miss 100-1 Purdue 100-1 Saint Mary's 100-1 UCLA 100-1 UConn 100-1 Arkansas 200-1 Baylor 200-1 Mississippi State 200-1 North Carolina 200-1 Oregon 200-1 VCU 200-1 UC San Diego 300-1 Colorado State 500-1 Georgia 500-1 Memphis 500-1 New Mexico 500-1 Oklahoma 500-1 Texas 500-1 Vanderbilt 500-1 Drake 1,000-1 Grand Canyon 1,000-1 High Point 1,000-1 Liberty 1,000-1 Lipscomb 1,000-1 McNeese State 1,000-1 Utah State 1,000-1 Xavier 1,000-1 Yale 1,000-1 Akron 2,000-1 Montana 2,000-1 Omaha 2,000-1 Troy 2,000-1 UNC Wilmington 2,000-1 Wofford 2,000-1 Alabama State 5,000-1 American 5,000-1 Bryant 5,000-1 Mount Saint Mary's 5,000-1 Norfolk State 5,000-1 Robert Morris 5,000-1 SIU Edwardsville 5,000-1 Note: Odds reflect victories by North Carolina and Alabama State in First Four on Tuesday.
