At first glance, the South Region looks like one of the most unpredictable in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The No. 1 seed, Baylor, didn’t even win its own conference tournament. The Bears were beaten by Oklahoma State in the Big 12 semis, with Texas ultimately rising to the top after beating the Cowboys in the title game.
In fact, you won’t find a conference tournament champion until you reach the No. 12 seed in this region. That would be none other than Winthrop, who claimed the Big South championship.
BetOnline.ag is giving you the opportunity to wager on the teams you think will win each of the four regions in this year’s tourney. Baylor is an understandable +125 favorite to get out of the South, but this region is legitimately wide-open.
Which teams are the best bets to win the South and advance to the Final Four?
Baylor (+125)
Baylor may have come up short in the Big 12 tournament, but don’t let that letdown cloud your judgment when filling out your bracket. The Big 12 was right there with the Big Ten as the best conference in America this season, and the Bears still managed to breeze their way to a regular-season crown.
Baylor finished the season with a record of 22-2, and they didn’t suffer their first loss until falling at Kansas back in February. Both of their setbacks during the regular season came after the team had to pause activities for a few weeks due to health and safety protocols. While the Bears have struggled uncharacteristically on the defensive end since the hiatus, there is still plenty of reason to fear this team.
The Bears are an elite combination of defense and shooting. “Defense wins championships” may be the age-old saying, but having capable three-point shooting is just as important in this day and age. This Baylor team checks both boxes with gusto.
Find me another player who averages 15+ points per game (second leading scorer) on a team that wins the conference by multiple games and gets put on 3rd team All-Conference…MaCio Teague got robbed.
— Grayson Grundhoefer (@GrayGrundhoefer) March 8, 2021
The Bears finished the season 28th in the nation in defensive rating, allowing just 92.3 points per 100 possessions. That was the second-best mark in the Big 12, trailing only Texas Tech. The marksmanship is what makes them scary, though. The Bears canned 41.8 percent of their three-pointers this season, which was the best mark in the country. Baylor also did it on pretty good volume, ranking 55th in the nation in three-pointers attempted per game (24.7).
The Bears use a three-headed attack offensively. The trio of MaCio Teague, Jared Butler, and Davion Mitchell gives Baylor no shortage of offensive weaponry, with plenty of experience, to boot. The value isn’t great on Baylor at +125, but this is clearly the most likely team to get through the South unscathed. For that reason alone, they’re worth the shot at +125.
Ohio State (+425)
The Buckeyes have the second-best odds of any team at +425 to get out of this region. Ohio State gave Illinois quite a run in the Big Ten title game before ultimately falling short in overtime. It was an impressive showing for the Buckeyes, especially considering it came just a day after they knocked off Michigan in the conference semis. Michigan, of course, is the No. 1 seed in the East, while Illinois is the top seed in the Midwest.
With the Big Ten being so stacked this season, we can say with confidence that this Ohio State team is battle-tested. They play a high-intensity style on both ends of the floor, and it seems as though they have played in countless classics over the last two months alone. Ohio State has impressive wins over Rutgers (twice), Purdue, Iowa, and Wisconsin in addition to their recent aforementioned triumph over the rival Wolverines.
Nine Big Ten Teams Are in the Field for the Big Dance
The Buckeyes aren’t the best team in the conference, but their ability to play up to their opponents is something that should come in handy in the tourney. Duane Washington Jr. (16.3 points per game) and EJ Liddell (15.9) have been the offensive cornerstones for the Buckeyes this season, and this is one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the country.
The Buckeyes rank 10th in the country with an average of 110.9 points per 100 possessions. That’s not only the second-best mark in the Big Ten, but it’s the second-best of any team in this region. Baylor (No. 2) is the only team that has been more prolific on that end of the floor.
Purdue (+750)
Purdue often gets lost in the shuffle with the Big Ten being so laden with talent, but don’t overlook this squad. The Boilermakers finished the season at 13-6 in the conference, which is no small feat. Purdue actually finished ahead of Ohio State in the regular-season standings. Were it not for Ohio State’s recent run in the conference tourney, Purdue could actually be the higher seed here.
Purdue having lost to the Buckeyes in the Big Ten tournament likely played a part in their fall to No. 4. The Boilermakers ultimately couldn’t keep up with Ohio State in overtime, but it was a hard-fought affair.
All-Big Ten First Team, per release:
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Luka Garza, Iowa
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
Trevion Williams, Purdue— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 9, 2021
There’s a chance Purdue won’t reach their full potential until next season. This is admittedly a young team that lacks the experience of some of the other frontrunners in the South. If they can get hot, though, there’s no reason Purdue can’t make a run at the Final Four this time around. Junior forward Trevion Williams has quickly developed into one of the best all-around big men in the conference. Williams averaged 15.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season, and he’s a tough cover for opposing bigs.
Purdue won each of their last five regular-season games, including a solid home win over Wisconsin. The Boilermakers also beat Ohio State in both of their meetings during the regular season, which should give this team plenty of confidence if they face the Buckeyes for a fourth time in the Big Dance.
Why not Purdue? At +750, you can do a lot worse than throwing down a few bucks on this young team to make a deep run.
North Carolina (+1200)
North Carolina is only a No. 8 seed in this region, but the Tar Heels have the sixth-best odds to represent the South in the Final Four. We probably don’t need to tell you why that is. North Carolina is one of the most decorated programs of all-time, and the team has enjoyed all sorts of success with Roy Williams at the helm.
While the team’s 18-10 overall record (10-6 in ACC play) may leave plenty to be desired, the Tar Heels have some impressive young guns leading the charge. This was a down year for the ACC in general, but the team’s general lack of experience may explain their wobbly regular-season form.
North Carolina got off to a middling 5-4 start, which makes their final record look a bit more impressive. One thing we know this team can do is put points on the board. While no player averaged more than 12.2 points per game during the regular season, they’re getting hot offensively at the right time. The Heels have scored at least 81 points in three of their last four games, including a 101-point effort in a housing of Notre Dame in the ACC tournament.
If they can keep the offense flowing, the defense should be fine. In fact, North Carolina ranks a respectable 57th in the nation in defensive efficiency this season, allowing 94.1 points per 100 possessions. They’ll face a tough Wisconsin team in the opener. If they win that, they’ll likely face the high-powered Baylor Bears in round two.
Getting past Baylor is obviously no easy task, but the Bears have looked a bit vulnerable themselves lately. If Carolina can pull the upset, who’s to say they can’t run the table on the way to the Final Four? Williams knows what it takes to get the job done. Even without a roster loaded with future NBA stars, Carolina makes for an interesting sleeper at +1200.
Villanova (+1600)
Villanova has won two of the last four March Madness NCAA championships, but nobody’s talking about Jay Wright’s crew heading into this year’s tournament. That’s probably a mistake. The 2020-21 Wildcats may not have Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson, or Mikal Bridges leading the way, but this team did just win the Big East regular-season title.
Nova went 16-6 this season, including a mark of 11-4 in conference play. The Wildcats were upset by eventual champs Georgetown by a point in the Big East tournament, and they do enter the Dance having lost three of their last four games. That shaky late-season form likely explains why Villanova is just a No. 5 seed in this thing.
Six Big East players have been named Honorable Mention AP All-American.
James Bouknight, UConn
David Duke, Providence
Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Sandro Mamukelashvili, SH
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) March 16, 2021
Unfortunately, the Wildcats are shorthanded here. Collin Gillespie, who averaged 14 points and 4.6 assists per game this season, is done for the year after injuring his knee a couple of weeks ago. That leaves Nova without its star point guard, but they did beat No. 14 Creighton after Gillespie went down. Sophomore guard Justin Moore will have to take on more playmaking responsibility, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will have to dominate the paint offensively.
Clearly, this isn’t the best Villanova team we’ve seen over the last handful of years. Even without Gillespie, though, this team is capable of stringing wins together. Coaching matters an awful lot in the tournament. Just look at the success teams like Michigan State have enjoyed in recent years. Don’t count Villanova out, even if they haven’t played particularly well of late.
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
