March Madness Lines and Betting Predictions for the West Region Bracket

Odds have landed for most of the first round games in the West Region. The only game where we don’t know the odds is when 1-North Carolina takes on either Howard or Wagner. No worries. We’ll still handicap and make a prediction for that contest. Check out college basketball odds, analysis, and free picks for the eight Round 1 games in this year’s NCAA Tournament West Region.

2024 March Madness Betting Predictions for the West Region Brackets | MyBookie NCAAB Betting Analysis

NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament: Tuesday, March 19 – Monday, April 8

#1 North Carolina vs #16 Howard/Wagner TBD

Although the Tar Heels fell to rival NC State in the ACC Tournament Final, it won’t matter. There’s no way Howard or Wagner keeps this close. R.J. Davis can drop 20 in a half if he’s hot. Armando Bacot and Elliott Cadeau are playing great. UNC rolls.

#8 Mississippi State vs #9 Michigan State -1.5

This should be a close game. But Mississippi State is the hot squad with a win over Tennessee in their last 2 and a close 7 point loss to eventual SEC Tournament champs Auburn. Also, the Spartans don’t always perform up to task in the first round. This is a tough matchup for Tom Izzo’s bunch.

#5 Saint Mary’s -4.5 vs #12 Grand Canyon

The only reason Saint Mary’s is a 5-seed is because they play Gonzaga every year. The West Coast Conference isn’t good after the Zags. In fact, if Grand Canyon played in the WCC, they’d challenge both St. Mary’s and Gonzaga for supremacy. The Lopes are legit. Tyon Grant-Foster shoots close to 45% from the field on his way to 18+ per night.

#4 Alabama -10.5 vs #13 Charleston

Bama lost 4-of-6 to finish out the season. 3 of the 4 losses were horrendous: 117-95 at Kentucky, 105-87 at Florida, and 102-88 versus Florida in the SEC Tournament. Charleston finished the season on a 12-game winning streak. Charleston can pull off the SU upset victory.

#6 Clemson vs #11 New Mexico -2.5

Clemson dropped 3 of their last 4 versus teams that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Beating Boston College, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame doesn’t impress. New Mexico won 4 straight, 2 of the wins were against Boise State and San Diego State, to win the MWC Tournament. Lobos cover.

#3 Baylor -13.5 vs #14 Colgate

Baylor lost 10 games this season, but 2 of the losses were quality, by 3 versus Kansas in Lawrence, and by 6 versus South 1-seed Houston. Colgate is a quality program. But the Red Raiders don’t have much chance of keeping this close. Baylor rolls to an easy win and cover.

#7 Dayton vs #10 Nevada -1.5

Dayton’s losses to Duquesne in their last wasn’t great. The Flyers don’t head to the NCAA Tournament playing their best hoops, that for sure. Nevada won 10 of their last 12. The Wolf Pack played in the sneaky good Mountain West Conference and performed well. The chalk covers.

#2 Arizona -19.5 vs #15 Long Beach State

If Long Beach State didn’t win the Big West Tournament, they wouldn’t have made it to the Big Dance. The Beach lost 5 straight to end the regular season. Arizona lost 2-of-3, but they’re still supremely talented compared to their rivals. The Wildcats have the talent to win it all. They won’t allow a team like LBSU to keep it close.

The college basketball regular season and conference tournaments are all over with now, which means it’s time to look ahead to March Madness. We will have 4 play-in games over the next couple of days before we get to the tournament proper, so we still have some time to break things down as we all try to win some money and create the perfect bracket. As always, the tournament is split into 4 distinct regions, which means no less than 4 #1 seeds looking to make a deep run and win it all. We will cover as much ground as possible throughout the course of the tournament, but let’s get things rolling by taking a closer look at the West Region so you can continue with your March Madness Betting.

Top West Region Bracket Betting Predictions for the Upcoming Games

West Region Favorites

Once again, Gonzaga (-198) looks to be one of the teams to beat heading into March Madness. They have the #1 seed in the West Region and will be looking to make another deep run. This is a team that has been in the national Championship Game twice in the last 4 attempts, although they have come up short both times. They will open against Georgia State and look to have a manageable run through to the Elite 8, so definitely worth a look.

The Duke Blue Devils (+380) are the #2 seed in the West Region and will be looking to deliver something special for Coach K in his final season. They are sure to have a bit of a chip on their shoulder after losing to Virginia Tech in the ACC Conference Tournament, but they should be able to shrug it off and be ready to go again in this one. An easy win against CSU Fullerton will be first, after which things could get a good deal trickier.

Potential Dark Horses and Upset Specials

It’s hard to classify the #3 seed in the region as a dark horse, but when you consider the quality of the teams ahead of them in the West, Texas Tech (+550) needs to be given that tag. This is a team coming off a 25-win season and a trip to the Big 12 Conference Game, which they ended up losing. The Red Raiders do a lot of things really well and need to be considered a threat to make a deep run. They will have no problems with Montana State in Round 1 and should win again in Round 2. You never know what might happen once they get rolling.

Where does the potential lie for an upset in the opening round? I am looking at the Arkansas Razorbacks (+1200), who had some shaky moments in the regular season and who failed to reach the conference final in their tournament. They have a Round 1 date with the Vermont Catamounts, who come into the tournament on a high after winning the America East Conference. This is a team loaded with seniors that can shoot the lights out. Might be worth taking an upset shot with this game.

Who Wins the West Region?

A lot of college basketball fans will be cheering for Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils in the tournament, but emotions aside, you have to say that Gonzaga look like the most likely to come out of the West.