NCAA Midwest Bracket: The Ducks Will Try to Knock Off the Big Boys

Looking at the NCAA Tournament bracket, it seems each bracket has one team that’s looks out of place. In the South region that team is the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. In the East it is the Miami Hurricanes. Then the West, well there are two of them in the Wichita State Shockers and LaSalle Explorers. That team in the Midwest bracket is the Oregon Ducks.

The Ducks are in the Sweet Sixteen where they will join traditional basketball powers, the Louisville Cardinals, Michigan State Spartans and Duke Blue Devils. When thinking of those three schools, you think Final Fours and national championships. When thinking of the Oregon Ducks, you think of speedy running backs and ugly uniforms. When thinking of Ducks basketball, you think of the ugliest court in the game.

Now the Ducks will take on the Cardinals for the right to take on the Blue Devils-Spartans winner for a trip to the Final Four. Do these Ducks have a chance?

Bovada has the latest odds on teams to win the NCAA Tournament:

Louisville Cardinals 3/1

Michigan State Spartans 14/1

Duke Blue Devils 12/1

Oregon Ducks 33/1

So a $100.00 bet on the Ducks would win you $3,300.00.  The Ducks have talent on this team. With speedy point guard Dominic Artis healthy, they have been very good all year. It is when he was out with a foot injury that the team struggled. The Ducks will certainly be battling history when they they take the floor with this group.

The team with some attractive odds are the Spartans. They could very well win the whole thing. When they get this far, they have a knack of getting into the Final Four. A $100.00 bet on the Spartans would win $1400.00. I actually placed a wager on the Spartans before the field was even announced and only got 10/1. Now they are down to the final 16 teams and their odds have increased? Where is the logic?

Duke at 12-1? Same thing. I got them before the ACC Tournament at 4.5 to 1. Now at the Sweet Sixteen they are 12/1? This makes no sense. They are three times less likely to win it all now than they were before the regular season ended? Those are two bets you surely want to make.

The Cardinals hot streak is probably the reason the odds on the Spartans and Blue Devils have gone up so high. Being put in the same bracket as these Cards after their dominant showing in the Big East Tournament made the Spartans and Devils less likely Final Four participants. And the oddsmakers have noticed. They are the favorites to win the whole thing now.

Odds to win the Midwest Region:

Louisville 5/7

Michigan State 7/2

Duke 11/4

Oregon 9/1

So a $100.00 bet on the Ducks just to get to the Final Four could win you $900.00. That might be a good bet.

An interesting trivia note: The Midwest bracket is the only one where all four remaining schools had an appearance in a bowl game this past football season.