Betting the Big Dance: East Regional Odds To Go To the Final 4

Do the oddsmakers agree with the 2008 NCAA Tournament selection committee?  In the Eastern Regional, it will surprise nobody that the top overall seed in the 2008 Big Dance North Carolina is a prohibitive favorite to make the Final 4 at 2/3.

A modest surprise to sports betting expert Cy McCormick of MasterLockLine.com is how little respect second-seeded Tennessee has gotten. They are tied with the No. 3 seed Louisville at 7/2.

"Entering the major conference tournaments, most authorities had the Vols projected as a top seed. One upset loss in the SEC tournament has dropped their value too much," insists McCormick.

Stevie Vincent, Senior Handicapper at OffshoreInsiders.com somewhat disagrees saying Louisville could screw up a few bracket pools. "If they were healthy all year, they would likely be one of the top 5 teams in the country," says Vincent, further reminding that the Cardinals are, "as healthy as they've been all year."

Despite the long travel, Washington State is still given a decent chance at 9/1. Fifth seeded Notre Dame is arguably the consensus dark horse among the CBS and ESPN talking heads. The sportsbooks have their doubts, making them 14/1 to win the region.

Indiana may be an interesting long shot at 25/1 as teams tend to isolate themselves from distractions come tournament time. A "win one for" dispatched coach Kelvin Sampson is a likely rallying cry for a team not lacking in talent.

The NCAA men's basketball poster child for being a Cinderella team is of course George Mason. They are 80/1 to wear the glass slipper straight to the Final 4 a second time.

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