With all the No. 1 seeds eliminated from the NCAA men's basketball tournament, there has a huge shift in the favorite's role heading into this week's games in Houston.
Kentucky, a No. 4 seed in its region heading into the tournament, suddenly looms as the favorite to have its "one shining moment" in Houston, based on odds released today by Bodog Sportsbook.
In terms of the unprecedented amount of upsets in this year's tournament, Bodog Sportsbook manager Richard Gardner said the eventual collection of final four teams -- UConn, Kentucky, Butler and VCU -- would have gone off at 250,000 to 1 odds before the tournament. Here's his quote, which includes updated championship odds from pre-tournament postings to today for longshots VCU (9/2 down from 350/1), a No. 11 seed in its region, and Butler (13/4 down from 200/1), a No. 8 seed in its region. Remember: Either VCU or Butler will get a title shot Monday night because they play each other Saturday in Houston.
Gardner's quote:
“With pre tournament odds of 250,000/1 for UConn, Kentucky, Butler and VCU to make the Final Four, this has to go down as the most unpredictable March Madness in history. VCU (9/2 from 350/1) and Butler (13/4 from 200/1) will reward those who believe in Cinderella but the Book will be praying that fairy tales do not come true.”
More odds relating to the Final Four:
Odds to Win National Championship
Kentucky 7/5 (+140)
Connecticut 9/4 (+225)
Butler 13/4 (+325)
VCU 9/2 (+450)
Odds to win the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament MOP
Brandon Knight (Kentucky) 2/1
Kemba Walker (Connecticut) 2/1
Shelvin Mack (Butler) 13/2
Jamie Skeen (VCU) 10/1
Josh Harrellson (Kentucky) 10/1
Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut) 10/1
Terrence Jones (Kentucky) 10/1
Joey Rodriguez (VCU) 12/1
Matt Howard (Butler) 12/1
Brandon Rozzell (VCU) 18/1
Alex Oriakhi (Connecticut) 18/1
Bradford Burgess (VCU) 20/1
Deandre Liggins (Kentucky) 20/1
2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game - Exact Matchup
Kentucky vs. Butler 2/1 (+200)
Kentucky vs. VCU 11/4 (+275)
Connecticut vs. Butler 11/4 (+275)
Connecticut vs. VCU 4/1 (+400)
2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game - Championship Game Result
Kentucky over Butler 13/4 (+325)
Kentucky over VCU 17/4 (+425)
Connecticut over Butler 9/2 (+450)
Connecticut over VCU 6/1 (+600)
Butler over Kentucky 7/1 (+700)
Butler over Connecticut 15/2 (+750)
VCU over Kentucky 9/1 (+900)
VCU over Connecticut 10/1 (+1000)
Which will be the highest scoring team in the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Round?
Kentucky 9/5 (+180)
Connecticut 12/5 (+240)
Butler 3/1 (+300)
VCU 4/1 (+400)
Which will be the lowest scoring team in the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Round?
VCU 8/5 (+160)
Butler 13/5 (+260)
Connecticut 3/1 (+300)
Kentucky 4/1 (+400)
Will Either Final 4 Game or the Championship Game go to Overtime?
Yes +300
No -450
Will Both Final 4 Games get to a Double Digit Margin During the Contest?
Yes -150
No +110
Will Either Final 4 Game or the Championship Game Be Decided by a Buzzer Beater?
Yes 12/1
Who will score the most points in the Final Four Round?
Kemba Walker 4/5 (-125)
Brandon Knight 5/2 (+250)
Shelvin Mack 3/1 (+300)
Jamie Skeen 7/2 (+350)
Will Brad Stevens be the Coach for Butler for Game 1 of the 2011-2012 Regular Season?
Yes -300 (1/3)
No +200 (2/1)
Will Shaka Smart be the Coach for VCU for Game 1 of the 2011-2012 Regular Season?
Yes -600 (1/6)
No +400 (4/1)
Will Brandon Knight enter the 2011 NBA Draft?
Yes -1000 (1/10)
No +600 (6/1)
Will Terrence Jones enter the 2011 NBA Draft?
Yes -600 (1/6)
No +400 (4/1)
Will Charles Barkley correctly pick the winner in all of the last 3 games of the NCAA Tournament?
Yes 5/1
Kentucky vs. Connecticut
Kentucky -2
Connecticut +2
Over/Under 140 Points
Brandon Knight - Total Points
Over/Under 18
Brandon Knight - Total Assists
Over/Under 4.5
Brandon Knight - Total 3 Point Shots Made
Over/Under 2
Terrence Jones - Total Points
Over/Under 13.5
Terrence Jones - Total Rebounds
Over/Under 8
Josh Harrellson - Total Points
Over/Under 12.5
Josh Harrellson - Total Rebounds
Over/Under 9.5
Darius Miller - Total Points
Over/Under 10.5
Deandre Liggins - Total Points & Rebounds
Over/Under 13
Kemba Walker - Total Points
Over/Under 25.5
Kemba Walker - Total Assists
Over/Under 5
Kemba Walker - Total Rebounds
Over/Under 5
Kemba Walker - Total 3 Point Shots Made
Over/Under 2
Alex Oriakhi - Total Points
Over/Under 9
Alex Oriakhi - Total Rebounds
Over/Under 8
Jeremy Lamb - Total Points
Over/Under 14.5
VCU vs. Butler
VCU +2.5
Butler -2.5
Over/Under 133.5 Points
Jamie Skeen - Total Points
Over/Under 16
Jamie Skeen - Total Rebounds
Over/Under 7.5
Joey Rodriguez - Total Points
Over/Under 10
Joey Rodriguez - Total Assists
Over/Under 5.5
Bradford Burgess - Total Points & Rebounds
Over/Under 20.5
Brandon Rozzell - Total 3 Point Shots Made
Over/Under 2
Shelvin Mack - Total Points
Over/Under 17.5
Shelvin Mack - Total 3 Point Shots Made
Over/Under 2.5
Matt Howard - Total Points
Over/Under 15.5
Matt Howard - Total Rebounds
Over/Under 7.5
_ Jimmy Burch
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