March Madness Pools Demolished Following Historic Weekend
March Madness showed no mercy to our brackets. Heavy hitters were toppled in the first round, like No. 2 Arizona and No. 1 Purdue. Apparently, 15 seeds winning is the new norm as Princeton is the third consecutive team to take down a No. 2 seed in the first round. Fairleigh Dickinson showed a No. 16 taking down a top seed is no one-off. No March Madness picks saw this coming.
The basketball gods decided Princeton and FDU were not enough – tell that to our brackets. No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Marquette fell in the second round. This was only the fifth time two No. 1 seeds fell before the Sweet 16.
What is the moral of the story? This was a historic first weekend of March Madness, and in the wake of carnage, our brackets are bruised and battered. In fact, I’m not sure if there’s anything left. My poor bracket has three Elite Eight teams out and one Final Four squad finished.
Following a wild weekend, odds to win March Madness have significantly shifted. Maybe amid this pure chaos we could still predict the correct champion. We could all use a confidence booster about now.
Alabama, Houston Steady at the Top
Thank goodness we have some reliable teams left in this topsy-turvy tournament. Alabama and Houston were the title favorites before March Madness began, and both survived the first weekend. For many, these two teams are our last hope for winning our bracket groups.
Before the tournament tipped off, the two were tied as favorites. However, Alabama has pulled away as the favorite at +375. NCAA basketball lines have Houston as a close second at +400. The sportsbook also has both teams as favorites to win their region, with the Crimson Tide at -130 to win the South and the Cougars at even money in the Midwest.
No. 5 San Diego State is the highest remaining seed in Alabama’s South region. There’s no way the Tide fail to make the Final Four, right? Are we labeling Alabama as a lock? I won’t because it will doom all who pick the Crimson Tide. You’re welcome!
The Cougars are not as fortunate with No. 5 Miami, No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Xavier all alive in the Midwest region. Alabama has emerged as the favorite with good reason. March Madness predictions with the Crimson Tide winning it all are in a great spot.
THE BEST PLAYER IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL! pic.twitter.com/9vgBNKVIAR
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 19, 2023
Balanced Teams on the Rise
Some March Madness expert picks also picked UConn, UCLA and Texas to cut down the nets. These were less popular picks, but they had sound reasoning. Each has exceptional efficiency on both sides of the ball, which is always a big key when picking your national champion. The Huskies, Bruins and Longhorns all played well in the first and second rounds too.
UCLA is the third favorite to win the tournament (+750), Texas is the fourth choice (+850) and UConn is tied for fifth (+1000). Gonzaga and Creighton are also at +1000. The Bluejays were a dark-horse pick that is passing the eye test thus far. Gonzaga’s offense is meeting expectations and the defense is doing enough.
Our brackets have suffered with contenders falling early. However, not all hope is lost. We have not reached complete pandemonium yet. Several title favorites are still alive and well with favorable upcoming matchups.
Should we get our hopes up again? As soon as we do, our dreams are crushed. Let’s do it all again this week! That’s what makes March Madness fun. It’s results that no one sees coming – even the experts.
Predicting the correct national champion will be beyond gratifying after the wild first weekend. Make your online gambling prediction with BetUS Sportsbook.
