A defending champion and the country's only undefeated team are atop the odds to win the men's and women's basketball tournaments respectively, as March Madness heats up this week at sportsbooks across the country.
UConn, which topped last season's men's field to win the national title, is the betting favorite to repeat. The Huskies, the No. 1 overall seed, are +400 on ESPN BET, followed by fellow No. 1 Houston (+550) and Purdue (+700). No. 2 seed Arizona is next at 11-1 odds, ahead of No. 4 seed North Carolina (15-1). UConn is looking to become the fifth men's team to win back-to-back men's national titles and the first since the Florida Gators in 2007-08.
Undefeated and top-seeded South Carolina is the consensus favorite to win the women's tournament. The Gamecocks were listed around -135 Sunday night. However, the betting public has been backing Caitlin Clark and No. 1 seed Iowa.
On FanDuel, more bets have been placed (and more money risked) on the Hawkeyes winning the national title than any other team this season. DraftKings and BetMGM also reported heavy betting on Iowa. The Hawkeyes and defending champion LSU Tigers are the second favorites behind South Carolina.
The Gamecocks open tournament plays the winner of Sacred Heart-Presbyterian. The Hawkeyes will face the winner of Holy Cross and UT Martin in the first round.
UConn begins its NCAA men's tournament on Friday against No. 16 seed Stetson. The Huskies opened as 26.5-point favorites, the largest first-round spread for a reigning champion since Duke in 2002.
ESPN's Doug Greenberg contributed to this report.
