March Madness Midwest Region Odds: Houston In Minus Money

A wild opening weekend of March Madness is in the books, and only 16 teams remain. With the Sweet 16 kicking off on Saturday, a crazy number of upsets in the opening two rounds has caused a major shift in regional odds.

In the Midwest Region, only No. 2-seeded Houston, No. 8 Loyola Chicago, No. 11 Syracuse and No. 12 Oregon State remain in the hunt to go to the Final Four.

Online sportsbook BetUS has updated its March Madness Midwest Region odds with Houston the favorite at -120, followed by Loyola Chicago (+150), Syracuse (+600) and Oregon State (+1000).

Who Will Win the March Madness Midwest Region?

Odds as of March 25 at BetUS

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New to betting on college basketball? Be sure to check out our March Madness betting guide to help you get some money down on the hardwood in March.

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 as the tournament goes on.

Midwest Region Has Been Nearly Unpredictable

There’s a big group of Cinderella teams appearing in the Sweet 16, and two of them reside in the Midwest. 

Oregon State and Syracuse join No. 15 Oral Roberts and No. 11 UCLA as the teams making the biggest surprise appearances in the Sweet 16. No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago is another team to defy the odds through the opening two rounds of the tournament.

In the Midwest, Loyola Chicago will tip off against Oregon State, while Syracuse does battle vs Houston. For a full betting breakdown on the Ramblers-Beavers game, we have you covered. Click here for a preview of Orange-Cougars.

The Cougars remain the team to beat after opening the tournament in second place on the oddsboard at +300. In a March Madness that’s been full of crazy upsets, it’s hard to find much value in the current -120 price despite the talent the Cougars possess.

Loyola Chicago is on a Mission

The Ramblers entered the NCAA Tournament as one of the strongest No. 8 seeds we’ve seen in quite some time. Eighth seeds have proven they can go on deep runs in March Madness – just look at the eighth-seeded Kentucky squad of 2014 led by Julius Randle that made it all the way to the national championship game.

According to KemPom’s efficiency rankings, Loyola Chicago is the No. 9 team in the nation, and it’s the No. 10 team in America via the NET rankings. Loyola’s biggest strength is its defense, which is the top-rated unit in the country. The Ramblers’ defense is a 10th of a point better than No. 2-rated Alabama.

The Ramblers’ Final Four run in 2018 is fresh in everybody’s minds, and this year’s Loyola Chicago group has the potential to make yet another deep tournament run.

Head coach Porter Moser proved he has the chops to upset the higher-ranked teams in the NCAA Tournament just three years ago and did the exact same thing in a Round of 32 win over No. 1-seeded Illinois. Loyola Chicago dispatched No. 9 Georgia Tech in the Round of 64 before sending the state-rival Fighting Illini home early.

The Ramblers clearly should’ve been a much higher seed than No. 8. If you got them at their opening number of +1200 in March Madness Midwest Region odds, you’re sitting pretty. If you didn’t, they’re still a great option at +150.

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March Madness Midwest Region Historical Information

Illinois continues a concerning trend for No. 1 seeds in the Midwest Region. A No. 1 seed hasn’t made it out of the Midwest and into the championship game since Kentucky accomplished the feat in 2014, and that’s going to continue in 2021.

Here’s a look at the March Madness Midwest Region results since the 2012 season: