USC, UCLA Face Long Championship Odds Entering Elite Eight

• Gonzaga (+135) remains favored to win NCAA title heading into Elite Eight
• USC (+1200) has seen their odds improve dramatically after beating Oregon on Sunday
• UCLA (+2800) has the longest odds of any team left in the field

This year’s NCAA Tournament has been as unpredictable as ever. While three of the four No. 1 seeds are still alive, the 2021 tourney has truly put the “madness” in “March Madness.”

The Pac-12 wasn’t the best conference in the nation during the regular season, but it’s well-represented in the Elite Eight. Three of the eight teams left in the field hail from the Pac-12, and that doesn’t even include the conference’s regular-season champion (Oregon).

The Ducks were ousted in the Sweet Sixteen over the weekend by USC. While Gonzaga has remained a fairly heavy favorite since the tournament began, no team has seen their championship odds improve as dramatically as the Trojans have. Led by star freshman Evan Mobley, USC is suddenly on the verge of the program’s first Final Four appearance since 1954.

BetOnline has released updated NCAA title odds in advance of the Elite Eight, which gets underway tonight. Following their easy 82-68 win over Oregon on Sunday night, the Trojans suddenly have the fifth-best odds of winning the national title at +1200.

The updated championship odds are listed below:

• Gonzaga (+135)
• Baylor (+250)
• Michigan (+550)
• Houston (+600)
• USC (+1200)
• Arkansas (+1600)
• Oregon State (+2000)
• UCLA (+2800)

Impressive Run for USC

While Mobley is the Trojans’ star attraction, senior Tahj Eaddy has been leading the charge. Eaddy put up 20 points on blistering 7-for-11 shooting from the field on Sunday night, while fellow senior Isaiah White chipped-in with a team-high 22 points. White was even more efficient from the field (8-for-10) as the Trojans shot better than 58 percent from the field in the game.

The scariest aspect of the Trojans’ demolition of the Ducks was the fact that Mobley wasn’t heavily involved. The freshman seven-footer, who averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game during the season, contributed just 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on Sunday night.

USC faces quite the challenge, however. The Trojans will take on Gonzaga in the West Regional final on Tuesday night. The Zags, who are the only unbeaten team left in the nation, have won each of their first three games in the tourney by at least 16 points. Gonzaga easily got past Creighton 83-65 in Sweet Sixteen action on Saturday, and no team has come particularly close to challenging them thus far.

UCLA’s Unlikely Streak

USC’s crosstown rivals, UCLA, are in the midst of a Cinderella run of their own. The Bruins were forced to participate in the First Four after a so-so regular-season, but Mick Cronin’s team has caught fire over the past couple of weeks. The Bruins, who finished just fourth in the Pac-12 regular-season standings, have beaten Michigan State, BYU, Abilene Christian, and Alabama on their way to an unlikely berth in the Elite Eight.

UCLA needed overtime to get past the Crimson Tide in the Sweet Sixteen, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. was ultimately able to get the Bruins over the hump. UCLA does have the worst title odds (+2800) of any remaining team, but the Bruins clearly can’t be counted out based on what they have accomplished to this point. UCLA will take on top-seeded Michigan in the East Regional final on Tuesday night.

Matchups and point spreads for each of the four Elite Eight matchups are as follows:

• (12) Oregon State (+8) vs. (2) Houston
• (3) Arkansas (+7.5) vs. (1) Baylor
• (6) USC (+9) vs. (1) Gonzaga
• (11) UCLA (+7) vs. (1) Michigan

Check out our predictions for the first 2 games of the Elite Eight taking place tonight: