March Madness 2014 Bracketology: Odds Favor Arizona, Wichita State, Kansas or Duke to Cut Down the Nets
ByIt is never too early to start thinking about March Madness and the NCAA Tournament and with no more than two weeks left in the regular season, the field is taking shape.
According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, the four number one seeds as of Thursday are Arizona, Syracuse, Wichita State and Florida. Kansas, Creighton, Duke and Wisconsin are two-seeds that could steal a top seed depending on how the rest of the season plays out.
College basketball expert Eamonn Brennan also listed teams in each division that is locked into the tournament, most likely headed there and who cannot yet punch their ticket.
The AP top 25 and teams sitting just outside the national rankings are all at least most likely to get in. Brennan noted that teams like Minnesota, Oklahoma State, VCU, Florida State, Stanford and Gonzaga stand realistic chances of either getting in or missing out entirely on the tournament.
Despite rocky stretches, Brennan noted that Iowa and Connecticut are most likely going to play in the tournament.
In Lunardi's "bracketology" piece, he listed odds for the tournament's champion and teams in the final four and sweet 16.
Championship Odds
1. Arizona: 17 percent
2. Wichita State: 9.4 percent
3. Kansas: 7.8 percent
4. Duke: 7.3 percent
5. Villanova: 6.6 percent
6. Florida: 6.1 percent
7. Syracuse: 5.8 percent
8. Creighton: 5.8 percent
9. Wisconsin: 4.5 percent
10. Virginia: 4.5 percent
Final Four Odds
1. Arizona: 40.9 percent
2. Wichita St: 29.2 percent
3. Kansas: 27.3 percent
4. Duke: 25.4 percent
5. Syracuse: 22.9 percent
6. Villanova: 22.6 percent
7. Florida: 22.3 percent
8. Creighton: 18.9 percent
9. Wisconsin: 18.7 percent
10. Virginia: 16.2 percent
Sweet 16 Odds
1. Arizona: 81.0 percent
2. Kansas: 71.8 percent
3. Syracuse: 69.8 percent
4. Wichita State: 69.8 percent
5. Duke: 68.1 percent
6. Florida: 66.1 percent
7. Creighton: 66.1 percent
8. Wisconsin: 65.6percent
9. Villanova: 60.2 percent
10. Virginia: 59.2 percent