2009 NCAA Tournament Odds: West Region

Written March 18, 2009 by Jack Jones

ncaa-tournament-odds-west-region-031809 It’s time to head out to the West Region in the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament to see the futures odds for who will win represent the region in the Final Four. For the most part, this region stays true to it’s seeds, with the top 3 seeds given the best odds to win the West. Here is a quick look at the odds for the favorites, the middle tier teams, and the long shots in the West in 2009.

Connecticut +145 - The Huskies have become everyone’s favorite number one seed to be knocked off first in the NCAA tournament, but I’m not sold on the idea. The injury to Jerome Dyson is a significant loss, but I think the trio of A.J. Price, Hasheem Thabeet, and Jeff Adrien are up to pick up some slack on the offensive side of the ball in Dyson’s absence. It’s understandable that people are down on UConn as they lost to Pitt in their final game of the regular season, then were knocked out of the Big East tournament in that marathon game against Syracuse, but don’t take the Huskies out of your bracket too soon. I see them heading to the Sweet 16 at the very least.

Memphis +175 - Memphis may as well be a #1 seed with these odds, they have been given the best odds of any #2 seed to make it to the Final Four. The Tigers always catch grief for playing in Conference USA, but they almost always perform well in the NCAA tournament. They made last year’s final game, and while I don’t expect to see them there this year, I do have them in the Final Four.

Missouri +500 - If Missouri isn’t on your hot list for the tournament yet, they probably should be. The Tigers looked great in the Big 12 conference tournament and should carry that momentum into the the big dance. This is a team that beat USC, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma during the regular season. They may run into some trouble if they have to face Marquette in the second round, and ultimately they will probably have to square off with Memphis for a chance to make the Final Four.

Purdue +700 - Purdue at the 5th seed jumps #4 Washington as far as the odds are concerned, and I tend to agree. The Boilermakers are one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament and I see them doing well in this year’s tournamnet. A Final Four run isn’t out of the question, but they would have a very difficult road to get there.

Washington +1000 – Of the brackets I’ve seen so far, the Huskies are the #4 seed that is getting the least amount of respect. Don’t sleep on Washington, though, they feature 3 players that average around 15 points per game in Isaiah Thomas, Justin Dentmon, and Jon Brockman. When teams with a strong backcourt get hot in the tournament they can do a lot of damage.

Marquette +1200 - Marquette gets the 6th seed in the West. I do think they avoid the upset in the first round this year, but beyond that I do not think they’ll have the depth to compete with the higher seeds in this side of the bracket.

Middle Tier - California (+3000), BYU (+3000), Texas A&M (+3500), Maryland (+4000)

Long Shots - Utah State (+5000), Mississippi State (+5000), Northern Iowa (+10000), Cornell (+15000), CS Northridge (+30000), Tennessee Chattanooga (+50000)

For those of you looking to do a little NCAA Tournament Betting this weekend, be sure to check out our expert NCAA basketball picks and make sure you have the best college basketball odds at Betfirms.

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