Memphis, Indiana, Florida on the rise in NCAA Hoops
Sportsbook.com revises odds two months before Selection Sunday
New York, NY– January 12, 2006 – Now that the Rose Bowl is over the attention of college sports fans has turned full force to the action on the hard court. With Selection Sunday exactly two months from today Sportsbook.com (the world’s biggest sports betting portal and casino) has revised its odds for the 2006 NCAA Basketball Championships and has provided its own field of 65 favorites for the title.
Everyone’s preseason picks, Duke and Connecticut, remain tops according to odds makers. Duke is the heavy favorite at 2-1, followed by Connecticut at 9-2 and several other preseason favorites; Villanova (10-1), Texas (12-1), Arizona (20-1) and Gonzaga (20-1).
One team to see a huge improvement in its odds is Memphis. The Tigers, who are now listed at 8-1 behind only Duke and Connecticut, started the season as a 50-1 long shot. Other teams getting the respect of odds makers and bettors alike include the Indiana Hoosiers (18-1 from 60-1) and the Florida Gators (20-1 from 100-1).
On the other side of the sliding scale are several teams who have failed to live up to their preseason hype. Blue Grass State schools Kentucky and Louisville have gone from 25-1 and 12-1 favorites, respectively, to 50-1 and 40-1 long shots. Oklahoma and Michigan State both started the season as potential Final Four candidates and 12-1 bets to win the title but now find themselves at 25-1 and 30-1, respectively. Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State have also taken big hits from the odds makers going from 40-1 to 300-1.
“The NCAA basketball season is really heating up and with conference play in full swing fan and betting interest is really picking up,” said Peter Childs, odds maker, Sportsbook.com. “I’m sure these odds will continue to change throughout the season, but there are already some surprises. For fans who bet on Florida at 100-1 or Memphis at 50-1earlier this year, there could be a huge payout come April 3.”
The NCAA Basketball Tournament’s field of 65 teams will be revealed live on Sunday, March 12 on CBS. The tournament begins on March 15 with the national championships final on April 3. Below is Sportsbook.com’s own field of 65 teams, the teams with the best odds of winning the title.
A full list of odds can be found at www.sportsbook.com or
you can click directly at Odds to Win 2006 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Sportsbook.com’s Field of 65
2006 NCAA Basketball National Championship Odds
The Final Four
1. Duke 2-1
2. Connecticut 9-2
3. Memphis 8-1
4. Villanova 10-1
The Elite Eight
5. Texas 12-1
6. Indiana 18-1
7. Arizona 20-1
8. Florida 20-1
The Sweet Sixteen
9. Gonzaga 20-1
10. Illinois 25-1
11. Oklahoma 25-1
12. UCLA 25-1
13. Michigan State 30-1
14. Washington 30-1
15. West Virginia 30-1
16. Boston College 40-1
The Rest of the Field
17. Louisville 40-1
18. NC State 40-1
19. Ohio State 40-1
20. Iowa 50-1
21. Kentucky 50-1
22. Pittsburgh 50-1
23. Kansas 50-1
24. Maryland 50-1
25. North Carolina 50-1
26. California 70-1
27. George Washington 75-1
28. Syracuse 75-1
29. Xavier 75-1
30. Nevada 80-1
31. Cincinnati 100-1
32. Tennessee 100-1
33. Wake Forest 100-1
34. Wisconsin 100-1
35. Michigan 180-1
36. Air Force 200-1
37. Arkansas 200-1
38. Florida State 200-1
39. Iowa State 200-1
40. LSU 200-1
41. Northern Iowa 200-1
42. South Carolina 200-1
43. UAB 200-1
44. Alabama 300-1
45. Georgetown 300-1
46. Georgia Tech 300-1
47. Houston 300-1
48. Marquette 300-1
49. Miami (FL) 300-1
50. Mississippi State 300-1
51. Notre Dame 300-1
52. Ohio U 300-1
53. Oklahoma State 300-1
54. Old Dominion 300-1
55. Stanford 300-1
56. Temple 300-1
57. Vanderbilt 300-1
58. Virginia Tech 300-1
59. Washington State 300-1
60. Wisc – Milwaukee 300-1
61. Charlotte 500-1
62. DePaul 500-1
63. Minnesota 500-1
64. Penn 500-1
65. St. Joseph’s 500-1
About Sportsbook.com
Sportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, offering numerous products including sports betting, horse racing, poker, casino and virtual games. It is the flagship US brand of Sportingbet PLC (LSE: SBT). Headquartered in London, England, Sportingbet is the world’s leading publicly traded online betting, gambling and gaming company. Sportingbet has been voted number one in the industry for two years in a row by the authoritative eGaming Review Power 50 Survey. Sportingbet also won the 2005 eGaming Award for best US-Focused company as a result of the success of Sportsbook.com.
For more information, please contact:
Patrick Erlich
Sportsbook.com
erlich@mediaprofile.com
416-318-3821
1-866-505-2900
