In the 2018 NCAA Tournament South Region the overall #1 seed Virginia Cavaliers have the toughest draw to get to the Elite Eight, but they’ll have the best draw when it comes to trying to make the Final Four as a top seed in a region.
The South Region has the weakest #2 and #3 seeds, but it will be a real bear for the Cavaliers to make it far enough, for that to matter.
We’re not exactly sure what the hell is going on with these initial lines. The Nevada vs. Texas game opened a virtual pick ‘em, but Nevada is at odds of 550/1 and Texas is at 250/1,
Miami has a tough opening game, but Tennessee is the weakest #3 seed in the field (of Michigan, Michigan State, Texas Tech) and the Hurricanes are at odds 270/1
There definitely looks to be some value here, especially for those that may be looking to protect Arizona or Kentucky futures by spreading some wealth around the board.
2018 NCAA Tournament South Region Odds coutresy of BetDSI.eu
#1 Virginia – +600
#2 Cincinnati – +1550
#3 Tennessee – +4300
#4 Arizona – +2150
#5 Kentucky – +4400
#6 Miami (FL) – +27000
#7 Nevada – +55000
#8 Creighton – +47500
#9 Kansas State – +55000
#10 Texas – +25000
#11 Loyola-Chicago – +38000
#12 Davidson – +75000
#13 Buffalo – +300000
#14 Wright State – +999999
#15 Georgia State – +999999
#16 UMBC – +999999
2018 NCAA Tournament South Region Betting Tips
The winner from the Boise part of the bracket will have a bit of a turnaround going from the altitude with a Thursday/Saturday schedule to Atlanta for the Sweet Sixteen.
That could be a challenge for the winner of the area, but Kentucky coming back to the southeast would be good for them. It will be a long trip for Arizona, especially with the other three teams having short flights and minimal time changes.
There could be some low-scoring games here, as this is the strongest defensive region, with Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Loyola-Chicago all top 25 in defensive efficiency.
Add in neutral sites and the other fun stuff that goes along with March Madness and the importance of the games, and we could see some very ugly basketball.
2018 NCAA Tournament South Region Outlook and Picks
As we look ahead to the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight, this region does look fairly wide open. Virginia’s struggles in the Month of Madness are well-documented. Cincinnati is outside the top 50 in offense.
Arizona struggles to play defense. Kentucky struggles to be consistent. Tennessee is a weak #3. It basically feels like now or never for the Cavaliers with the overall weaknesses of these teams, but there are two highly-talented blue bloods lying in wait in the Sweet Sixteen.
From a value standpoint, Kentucky is the only team outside of Virginia in the top 25 in both defensive and offensive efficiency, so they get the nod at +4400.
\Creighton could very well shoot the lights out enough to knock off Virginia and make Kentucky’s path a lot easier. This is also a better price than we saw on the Wildcats most of the season, so they would be the best bet for the South Region,
