With the 2018 NCAA Tournament field now released and people around the country starting to fill out their brackets, it's time to take a look at which teams have the highest odds and are considered the favorites.
While the final destination is a national championship, here are FiveThirtyEight's odds on which team will make the Final Four from each region:
NEXT READ: Here Are The Only 5 Teams With A Realistic Shot To Win The National Championship
Final 4 odds for the SOUTH bracket:
(1) Virginia—47%
(2) Cincinnati—23%
(3) Tennessee—9%
(5) Kentucky—7%
(4) Arizona—6%— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 12, 2018
Final 4 odds for the EAST region:
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 12, 2018
(1) Villanova—50%
(2) Purdue—20%
(5) West Virginia—8%
(4) Wichita St.—6%
(3) Texas Tech—6%
Final 4 odds for the extremely stacked MIDWEST region:
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 12, 2018
(1) Kansas—31%
(2) Duke—29%
(3) Michigan St.—25%
(4) Auburn—3%
(8) Seton Hall—3%
Note that our model actually thinks Duke and MSU are better than Kansas. But they face a tougher draw and have to play one another.
Finally, Final 4 odds for the WEST region ... lots of parity here as computer ratings don't love Xavier but do like the 2/3/4 seeds:
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 12, 2018
(2) UNC—25%
(4) Gonzaga—24%
(1) Xavier—18%
(3) Michigan—13%
(6) Houston—7%
(5) Ohio St.—5%
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The usual suspects led the way this year with Virginia and Villanova - the top two teams in the country - having the best odds. FiveThirtyEight gives UVA an 18 percent chance to win the national title, while Villanova comes in with a 17 percent chance.
NEXT READ: 5 High Seeds In The 2018 NCAA Tournament That Will NOT Win The National Championship
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