Kentucky Wildcats remain favorites to win NCAA Championship
The 2015 NCAA Tournament is down to 16 teams with three of the four top seeds left standing. Among the three is the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats (1). John Calipari’s squad has dominated the competition in the tournament thus far crushing the Hampton Pirates (16) in their first matchup and following up with a solid 13-point win over the Cincinnati Bearcats (8).
On Thursday, the Wildcats will put their flawless record on the line in the Sweet 16 against the West Virginia Mountaineers (5). Although many still anticipate Kentucky to go the distance, the Mountaineers will pose a tough challenge before the tournament favorites can advance to the Elite Eight.
As of right now, Kentucky remains the favorite to win it all with 1 to 1 odds. Along with the Wildcats still being considered the team to beat, the two other top seeded teams aren’t far behind.
Current odds to win the 2015 NCAA Tournament, via Bovada:
Kentucky #1 1/1
Wisconsin #1 8/1
Duke #1 8/1
Arizona #2 13/2
Gonzaga #2 12/1
Notre Dame #3 33/1
Oklahoma #3 25/1
Louisville #4 25/1
North Carolina #4 33/1
West Virginia #5 100/1
Utah #5 20/1
Xavier #6 100/1
Wichita State #7 33/1
Michigan State #7 14/1
NC State #8 50/1
UCLA #11 100/1
Although the top seeds have favorable odds, as per usual, there are a few teams that could threaten to pull off major upsets. The Michigan State Spartans (7) and Wichita State Shockers (7) are two teams to watch moving forward. Both squads have elevated their game during the NCAA Tournament and could be a serious threat to shake things up in the later rounds.
The Sweet 16 will get underway on Thursday with four games scheduled to be played. The first game of the day will be Wichita State taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3) at 7:15 p.m. ET with North Carolina Tar Heels (4) taking on the Wisconsin Badgers (1) getting started at 7:47 p.m. ET. Kentucky will then face off against the Mountaineers at 9:45 p.m. ET followed shortly after by the matchup between the Xavier Musketeers (6) and Arizona Wildcats (2) at 10:17 p.m. ET.
