Odds to Win the East Regional

The only region that has a team that is not a No. 1 seed as the favorite is the East Region. Kentucky is favored to advance to the Final Four ahead of Baylor, as the Bears have been dealing with a couple big injuries and haven’t looked great in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have the probable Wooden Award winner in Oscar Tshiebwe and a potential lottery pick in TyTy Washington Jr.

East Region Betting Odds at BetOnline

Kentucky +215

Baylor +275

Purdue +375

UCLA +500

Texas +1800

Saint Mary’s +2000

North Carolina +2200

Virginia Tech +2500

San Francisco +3300

Murray State +4000

Indiana +5000

Marquette +6600

St. Peter’s +10000

Wyoming +10000

Yale +20000

Akron +25000

Norfolk State +25000

There is a lot to like about Kentucky in the East Region. The Wildcats have the most dominant frontcourt player in the nation in West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe. The junior from Congo is averaging 17.0 PPG and leading the nation in rebounding with 15.1 RPG. Tshiebwe is also leading the country in rebounding percentage, and he is making over 60% of his field goals. TyTy Washington Jr. is the second leading scorer and a do-it-all guard, while senior Kellan Grady is making 42.6% of his threes. The Wildcats haven’t made it to the Final Four in seven years, but they have a great chance this season.

Baylor is the defending champion and can’t be discounted as the No. 1 seed. The Bears started the season with 15 straight wins despite the loss of their three leading scorers from last year, but L.J. Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua are both dealing with injuries. That has really stretched a thin rotation, and depth will be a major concern throughout this tournament. Baylor won five straight games to close out the regular season, but the Bears lost to Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Purdue is one of the favorites to come out of the East Region too. The Boilermakers have a superb guard in Jaden Ivey, and he is seen as a potential lottery pick with his ability to drive the paint and get to the free throw line. Sasha Stefanovic is a solid perimeter shooter, and the frontcourt has a ton of size that can be tricky for smaller opponents with 7’4 Zach Edey and 6’10 Trevion Williams.

We could see a longshot come out of this region. There are a few different longshots that are more than a little tempting at these prices. Saint Mary’s has never made it to the Final Four, but the Gaels play superb defense under Randy Bennett and were part of a very good WCC this season. North Carolina can potentially give top teams fits with its size as Armando Bacot and Brady Manek are both superb big men. The winner of the mid-major clash between Murray State and San Francisco will be a tough out too.

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