Big 12, SEC Tournament ODDS: Houston, Tennessee Favored In Conference Clashes

Across the country, NCAA conference tournaments are underway this week, including two expected to produce March Madness title contenders this year — the Big 12 and SEC.

Cougars Top Pick In Tough Conference

The Big 12 tournament, with the favored Houston Cougars featured along with other top teams, tipped off Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Houston is ranked first in the nation in the Associated Press and USA Today Top 25 polls. Houston plays the TCU-Oklahoma winner in a quarterfinal game on Thursday.

The tournament title game is Saturday on ESPN.

As for Houston’s chance of winning the March Madness national crown in early April, people such as veteran broadcaster Brent Musburger and Houston furniture story owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale are on board.

In an interview with Gambling.com last month, McIngvale, a multimillion-dollar sports bettor, hinted he might load up on Houston to win the national title. He since has wagered $1 million on Houston, using his Caesars Sportsbook app after crossing over the state line into Louisiana to place a bet. Sportsbetting is outlawed in Texas but legal in most Louisiana parishes.

Big 12 Conference Tournament Seeds, Odds

1. Houston -135

2. Iowa State +275

3. Baylor +750

4. Texas Tech +2000

5. BYU +1400

6. Kansas +1200

7. Texas +5000

8. TCU +6500

9. Oklahoma +10000

10. Kansas State +30000

11. Cincinnati +50000

12. UCF +50000

13. Oklahoma State +100000

14. West Virginia +100000

Source: DraftKings Sportsbook, via VSiN.

Vols Favored To Win SEC Tourney, But Watch The Wildcats

Also underway this week is the SEC tournament, with the Tennessee Volunteers favored to win. The Vols’ first game is Friday in the quarterfinals against the LSU-Mississippi State winner.

The tournament is being held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, with the title game set for Sunday on ESPN and the SEC Network.

SEC Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

1. Tennessee Volunteers (+130)

2. Kentucky Wildcats (+400)

3. Alabama Crimson Tide (+450)

4. Auburn Tigers (+260)

5. South Carolina Gamecocks (60-1)

6. Florida Gators (20-1)

7. Texas A&M Aggies (100-1)

8. LSU Tigers (300-1)

9. Mississippi State Bulldogs (65-1)

10. Ole Miss Rebels (250-1)

11. Georgia Bulldogs (500-1)

12. Arkansas Razorbacks (300-1)

13. Vanderbilt Commodores (1000-1)

14. Missouri Tigers (1000-1) 

Source: DraftKings Sportsbook, via VSiN.

On the VSiN site, analyst Zachary Cohen notes that Tennessee, with its “elite defense,” is the tournament favorite, but he likes Kentucky to capture the tourney title on Sunday.

“I have a hard time going against Kentucky at their current price,” Cohen wrote. “I know Tennessee is excellent defensively, but Kentucky scored 85 against them in a win in Knoxville last weekend. So, the Wildcats have proven that their dynamic offense can get the job done against this Vols team.”

Cohen also said he likes that Kentucky “is loaded at the guard position.”

“Good guard play goes a long way in March, and the Wildcats are as good as anyone in the backcourt,” he wrote.

Half Of SEC States Lack Legal Sports Betting

Of the 12 states with universities that have athletic teams in the SEC, including soon-to-be newcomer Oklahoma, six still do not have legal sports betting. That block of non-legal SEC states is the last large geographic region in the nation without legal sports betting.

During a recent episode of “The Edge,” Gambling.com’s Steve Bittenbender discusses which non-legal SEC states have a good chance of legalizing sports betting in the near future.

Currently, sports betting is legal and live in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Bettors in those jurisdictions can go to March Madness betting sites to wager legally on the tournament.