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Duke didn’t even get a No. 1 seed, so why are the Blue Devils the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament?
Coach K’s squad went on an unbelievable run last week, winning four games in four days over top-tier opponents to take home the ACC Tournament title. After that, many thought the Duke was going to grab a No. 1 seed from the selection committee.
It didn’t work out in the Dukies’ favor, as they ended up with a No. 2 seed, but Vegas wasn’t fooled by the number in front of their name. At 5-to-2, Duke still has the best odds to win the NCAA Tournament.
SportsLine handicapper Josh Nagel isn’t big on Duke though, namely because there’s just no value in the pick.
“They have an extremely favorable path to the Final Four, particularly for a No. 2 seed,” he said. “Duke might struggle with more physical opponents, and could face one should top-seeded Villanova suffer an early-round upset. All the relevant factors justify the price on Duke, but I’ll pass at the meager payback.”
Instead Nagel points to Gonzaga as a great value pick. Despite being a No. 1 seed, the Zags are 10-to-1 to win the National title.
“Gonzaga has a reasonably favorable bracket and could face a rematch with Arizona, which it beat in the regular season, for a Final Four berth,” he said. “This is as good a price you’ll find on a No. 1 seed.”
Nagel has analyzed the entire field and picked out the best value bets for the tournament, just to help you win some money this March.
See the rest of Josh Nagel’s best values to win the NCAA Tournament
