Since starting their campaign last fall as 500/1 long shots on the odds to win the NCAA Tournament, the West Virginia Mountaineers have exceeded expectations to reach the Sweet 16 this week.
However, if the Mountaineers are to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2010 they must first get past the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats, who they will meet in the Sweet 16 as heavy 13-point underdogs in March Madness betting at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
After capping their regular season with three straight-up losses in their last four outings, the Mountaineers have looked strong at the NCAA Tournament, getting past a pesky No. 12 Buffalo squad 68-62 before manhandling No. 4 Maryland in the Round of 32, easily covering as favorites in each game.
Thursday night’s Mountaineers vs. Wildcats betting matchup at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland marks the third March Madness meeting between the two squads in five years, with WVU posting a SU and against-the-spread Elite Eight win in 2010, while Kentucky claimed victory in the Round of 32 a year later.
The 36-0 Wildcats are winless ATS at this year’s NCAA Tournament, ending a strong 8-1-1 ATS run. The Mountaineers have produced mixed results as underdogs this season, going 5-6 SU and 6-5 ATS as betting dogs this season.
In the South Region, the No. 11 UCLA Bruins will need to overachieve when they face No. 2 Gonzaga on Friday as 8.5-point underdogs in March Madness betting at the sportsbooks.
The Bruins have been outstanding over the last two months, going 11-4 SU and 12-3 ATS, but face a Zags squad with just one SU loss since early December, posting 23 SU wins by double-digit margins since including an 87-74 road win over UCLA as 6.5-point road favorites.
In other Sweet 16 action, the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats have improved to 11-point favorites over No. 6 Xavier after opening as nine-point favorites. As well, the No. 3 Wichita State Shockers will look to build on their convincing 78-65 win over No. 2 Kansas when they take on No. 3 Notre Dame as slender one-point favorites, while the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers are favored by 5.5 points against No. 4 North Carolina.
No. 8 North Carolina State has opened as a 1.5-point underdog against No. 4 Louisville, while No. 1 Duke is a five-point favorite against No. 5 Utah, and No. 7 Michigan State is a surprising two-point favorite on the Sweet Sixteen odds against No. 3 Oklahoma.
Thumbnail photo via Greg Bartram/USA TODAY Sports Images
