I've pored over so much March Madness data I'm dreaming about numbers in my sleep.
In an effort to save you some time, I've compiled some of the most interesting stuff I've come across over the last few days to help you with your wagers and maybe even entertain you a little.
Here's the list:
76 – West Virginia’s winning percentage against the spread in the NCAA tournament going back to the 95-96 season (19-6 ATS). It’s the highest ATS winning percentage of any team in this year’s March Madness tournament.
14 – The number of points the Odds Shark computer is picking Northern Iowa to beat Texas by (70.4-56.4).
9th - The KenPomeroy basketball ranking for No. 11 "First Four" seed, Wichita State, which is the best ranking for any double-digit seed in the tournament. Gonzaga (ranked 27th) and Stephen F. Austin (ranked 33rd) are the next best among double digit seeds (11 and 14 seeds).
6 - Number of higher seeds that opened as favorites over lower seeds
$9.2 Billion - The estimated amount to be bet this year on the NCAA tournament according to the American Gaming Association.
70 million - The estimated number of brackets to be filled out this March Madness
$29 - The average amount wagered per bracket as estimated by the American Gaming Association
+13,000 – The highest moneyline price on an underdog in this year’s tournament (Sportsbook) for Austin Peay to upset Kansas. Kansas is favored by 26 points.
85 – Percentage of spread bets on Baylor (-6) in its matchup against Yale at Sportsbook. Providence (-1.5) is seeing 80 percent of spread bets in its matchup against USC as the second most lopsided wager among first round games.
6 – The seed of Notre Dame, the team with the worst winning percentage against the spread of any team in the tournament going back to 95-96 (7-12 ATS, 36.8 percent). Notre Dame is also the biggest UNDER team in the tournament going back to 95-96 Notre Dame (4-14-1 O/U, 79.8 percent UNDER rate).
84.2 - The average number of points scored per game by Green Bay, the most of any team in the tournament. The O/U in their game against Texas A&M is 155, third highest among first round totals.
69 – The Consensus Bet percentage at Odds Shark on Temple to cover the 7.5 points against Iowa, which is the most lopsided Consensus Bet for Round 1.
27.7 – The average number of points Michigan State covered its last three Round 1 games in the tournament. Sparty is favored by 18.5 against Middle Tennessee.
10.9 - The average combined total of seeds for Final Four teams each year since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The number was 10 last season: Kentucky (1), Wisconsin (1), Duke (1) and Michigan State (7). (via CBS)
142.4 - The average total for this year's March Madness tournament, the highest ever. It shows the impact of the 30-second shot clock where the previous high was 141.7 in 1998. (via Covers)
17.6 – Stephen F. Austin's scoring margin, best in the nation. Michigan State ranks second (16.4) and Wichita State ranks third in the nation (14.0).
14-1 – Odds on West Virginia to win the whole tournament at Sportsbook. SIA told me they’ve taken more money on WVU than any other team.
5:30 – A.M. local time, when the Sportsbook sports book will open in Las Vegas on Thursday, the first day of the tournament.
21 – Spreads covered by Xavier since 2004 in the NCAA tournament. They’ve been the best bet by far in recent years at 21-3-1 against the spread since ’04. They are also 8-1-2 ATS in the first round since 2002.
11.5 – The O/U on the number of games the ACC will win in the NCAA tournament, the most of any conference.
1.5 - The over/under on the number of games won by the Missouri Valley Conference this tournament. The conference already has one win after Wichita State beat Vanderbilt in their First Four meeting on Tuesday.
1 and 2 – Seeds of Kansas and Michigan State, the teams receiving the majority of futures wagers to win the tournament at Sportsbook, Sportsbook and Las Vegas SuperBook.
40 – The percentage of futures wagers on Kansas and Michigan State to win the tournament at Sportsbook
95.5 – Percentage of moneyline bets on Iona to upset Iowa State at Sportsbook, the favorite moneyline wager there for any game in the tournament. Iona is paying +295 as an 8-point favorite.
94.2 – Percentage of moneyline bets on Northern Iowa in their game against Texas, the second most popular upset pick at Sportsbook by percentage. NIU is paying +160 and is a 4-point underdog.
86.5 – The percentage of bets on Temple +7.5 to cover against Iowa at Sportsbook, the most popular spread wager there for any game in the first round.
