The Duke Blue Devils and the rest of the seven-team ACC contingent are expected to advance past the Round of 64 at the NCAA Tournament. Photo by Keenan Hairston (flickr).
See odds on which conference will produce the 2019 NCAA Tournament champion
The ACC has three of the four No. 1 seeds
The ACC and Big East have produced five of the last six March Madness winners
Trying to determine which conference will win the NCAA Tournament?
When you come up with your answer, head to your sportsbook of choice, because many are offering odds on the power conferences to win March Madness.
Which Conference Will Win the 2019 NCAA Tournament?
Yes
No
Odds to win 2019 NCAA Tournament by conference
-125
-105
ACC
+450
-650
SEC
+525
-850
Big Ten
+1000
-2500
Big 12
+3300
n/a
Big East
+10000
n/a
PAC-12
Odds taken 03/20/19.
A Conference Conundrum
Trend followers will want to stick to the ACC or Big East, who have accounted for the five of the last six champs. The ACC won in 2017 (North Carolina) and 2015 (Duke). The Big East won in 2018 (Villanova), 2016 (Villanova) and 2013 (Louisville, which is now in the ACC).
The only team to interrupt that monopoly was the team that breaks every trend related to March Madness champions: 2014 UConn out of the AAC.
PAC It In
If you Google a list of all-time NCAA champions, UCLA comes in at No. 1 with 11 March Madness titles. The PAC-12 also leads in all-time NCAA Tournament wins (15) and no coach captured more titles than the legendary Wizard of Westwood, UCLA bench boss John Wooden (10).
On the other hand, you used to plug your phone into the wall to call somebody. You needed stamps to send mail. Amazon was a jungle.
There are only three PAC-12 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Pac-12 regular-season champions the Washington Huskies are seeded ninth in the Midwest. The conference rated lower than the AAC at KenPom and was barely ahead of the WCC.
Even at +10000, there’s no value in picking the Pac-12.
Big East or Big Least?
The defending champs are a Big East school, and the Big East has won three of the last six and five of the past 11 NCAA Tournaments.
But this year, only three Big East teams are guaranteed to be in the field of 64. Villanova (No. 6) and Seton Hall (No. 10) are in the South Region. Marquette is No. 5 in the West.
— Michigan Athletics 〽️ (@UMichAthletics) March 19, 2019
However, the conference has had very little success at the tournament in the last two decades, at least in terms of winning the championship. Since Michigan State won the 2000 title, Big Ten schools have played in five March Madness finals and are 0-5.
You Can SEC Some Contenders
There are some viable championship candidates from the SEC. The Kentucky Wildcats (Midwest) and Tennessee Volunteers (South) are both No. 2 seeds.
The Auburn Tigers, SEC Tournament champions, have won eight in a row. Auburn is seeded fifth in the Midwest.
“Excited about being here. And I hope we can continue to play beautiful basketball."
Lately, though, the NCAA Tournament has proven unkind to the SEC. Kentucky was their last winner in 2012, and their only March Madness winner in the last 11 years.
Ramping Up The ACC
Three of four No. 1 seeds are ACC schools. Duke (East Region) is the +225 chalk to win March Madness.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
