March Madness East Region Odds: Purdue Slightly Favored Over UCLA

We’re halfway through the Sweet 16 of the March Madness tournament, and we have an East Region whose top two seeds have been sent home. With Houston the new favorite to be the 2022 national champion, in March Madness East Region odds it is now No. 3 seed Purdue that is the favorite after top-seeded Baylor was knocked out in the Round of 32.

Joe Fortenbaugh has provided his East Region best bet to go along with some great analysis below:

Online sportsbook [ol-sportsbook-bp:48:Bovada:26:Bodog] has released March Madness East Region odds as we move to the second night of Sweet 16 action with the No. 3-ranked Boilermakers the favorites at -125, followed by No. 4 UCLA (+220), No. 8 North Carolina (+400) and No. 15 Saint Peter’s (+2500) to round out the region.

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With Purdue listed as the favorite in March Madness East Region odds, that means you need to bet $125 on the Boilermakers to win the region to profit $100. Additionally, our sports betting calculator tells us that Purdue’s -125 odds represent an implied win probability of 55.56 percent.

Who Will Win The March Madness East Region?

Odds as of March 25 at [ol-sportsbook-bp:48:Bovada:26:Bodog]

New to betting on college hoops? Be sure to check out our March Madness betting guide to help get you in the game. Also, keep an eye on our college basketball odds page for the latest up-to-date betting lines. Lastly, if your bracket is busted, no problem, take a look at our Bets over Brackets page to give you some insight on how to continue to enjoy March Madness after your bracket is in shambles.

March Madness East Region Odds: Why Purdue Is The Favorite

In what has been the most entertaining region in the bracket, No. 3 Purdue sits as the top remaining seed as we advance through the Sweet 16. No. 2 Kentucky opened the tournament at the top of the oddsboard but the Wildcats were downed by the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, ending their run early. That upset ranks fourth among the top 10 biggest upsets in March Madness history.

Baylor took care of business in the Round of 64, topping Norfolk State 85-49 and covering the 21-point spread. However, the Bears fell short in their Round of 32 matchup with North Carolina, leaving Purdue as the top remaining seed in the region.

The Boilermakers cruised to a 22-point victory against Yale in their Round of 64 matchup. They got past a tough test in Texas and now will have to try to turn the Cinderella Peacocks back into a pumpkin if they want to get to the Elite Eight.

Breaking Down The East Region

No. 3 Purdue is a matchup nightmare for any team. They have a big center in Zach Edey and they have one of the best players in all of college basketball in Jaden Ivey. The Boilermakers took care of Yale 78-56 and were 3.5-point favorites against No. 6 Texas. 

Purdue now faces Saint Peter’s after the Peacocks’ Cinderella story continued with their win over No. 7 Murray State last Saturday.

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Fourth-seeded UCLA edged a solid Akron team 57-53 in its opener and beat No. 5 Saint Mary’s 72-56 on Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.

The East opened the tournament very top-heavy as the odds indicated, but this is the region that has had several upsets. 

March Madness East Region Historical Information

Only two top seeds have won the East Region over the past 11 years. Of those two winners, North Carolina in 2016 lost in the national final to Villanova, while in 2018 it was Villanova coming out of the East and going on to win its second title in three years.

Here’s a look at the March Madness East Region results since the 2010 season: