It might be the best month in sports. And now, it’s less than two weeks away.
March is coming.
So is college basketball’s championship week, followed by what might be the best gambling event of the year – March Madness.
Perhaps the end of the NFL season has you down. Maybe the uncertainty of the baseball season has doused your spirits. But all that will fade away once March is here.
Calendars Packed With College Basketball Madness
The sports schedule will fill up like a spring flower bed. Games will tip off in the middle of the afternoon. Brackets will arrive in bunches, just waiting to be filled out. And the listings at your favorite sportsbook or betting app in Pennsylvania will be jam-packed with games, a sports jackpot that never seems to disappoint.
So let’s look ahead to all that, with a quick glimpse of this year’s NCAA Tournament, college basketball’s best teams, and some of the futures bets that are available now.
When Does The 2022 NCAA Basketball Tournament Start?
Make sure you mark your calendar if you’re betting on any March Madness games or filling out a Final Four bracket pool. Important 2022 NCAA Basketball tournament dates:
- Selection Sunday for this year’s tournament will arrive on March 13, 2022.
- The First Four (play-in games) will follow on March 15th and 16th.
- Then, the First Round tournament games will begin on Thursday, May 17th.
2022 NCAA Basketball – March Madness Rankings
At present, the top five teams in the country according to their AP ranking are:
- No. 1 Gonzaga (22-2)
- No. 2 Auburn (23-2)
- No. 3 Arizona (22-2)
- No. 4 Kentucky (21-4)
- No. 5 Purdue (22-4)
Pennsylvania’s best team Villanova Wildcats rose to No. 10 this week, jumping five spots and earning a big victory over No. 8 Providence, the Wildcats fourth-straight win.
In his latest edition of Bracketology, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Villanova as a No. 4 seed playing in the Pittsburgh regional right across the state at PPG Paints Arena.
Philadelphia is also hosting tournament games this year with regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchups being held at the home of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Wells Fargo Center. If you can’t make it to the stadium to enjoy in person, there is a way to enjoy the Wells Fargo Arena from home.
2022 NCAA Tournament Futures – PA Odds
DraftKings has futures odds posted on whether teams will make the Final Four and also on the eventual NCAA Champion.
Here is the pricing for the top 20 teams in Final Four futures
- Gonzaga: -105
- Arizona: +200
- Kentucky: +220
- Auburn: +220
- Purdue: +220
- Duke: +240
- Kansas: +300
- Baylor: +300
- UCLA: +400
- Villanova: +400
- Texas Tech: +500
- Illinois: +500
- Houston: +550
- Ohio State: +600
- Tennessee: +600
- Texas: +600
- Alabama: +700
- Michigan State: +1000
- Michigan: +1200
- LSU: +1200
And here is the pricing for the NCAA Tournament Champion futures:
- Gonzaga: +400
- Arizona: +800
- Kentucky: +900
- PAuburn: +1000
- Purdue: +1000
- Duke: +1300
- Kansas: +1500
- Baylor: +1500
- UCLA: +2500
- Villanova: +2500
- Illinois: +3000
- Houston: +3500
- Texas Tech: +4500
- Tennessee: +4500
- Ohio State: 4500
- Texas: +4500
- Alabama: +5000
- Michigan State: +7000
- Wisconsin: +7000
- LSU, Providence, Michigan: +8000
DraftKings Sportsbook PA also has pricing on each major conference champion for those seeking some results before the tournament begins.
- Villanova is currently the favorite to win the Big East at (-200).
- Providence is close behind at (+130).
Villanova’s next game is a home contest Saturday at 5 p.m. vs. Georgetown.
- Betting lines for that matchup should be listed soon.
- But the biggest event is waiting just a few more weeks away.
MARCH IS COMING.
AND SO IS THE MADNESS
You might as well start getting ready now.
Featured image credit: David J. Phillip – AP