A defending champion and the nation's only unbeaten team sit atop the odds to win the men's and women's basketball tournaments respectively, as March Madness heats up this week at sportsbooks around the nation.
UConn, which cruised through last season's men's bracket to win the national title, is the consensus betting favorite to repeat. The Huskies, the top overall seed, are +400 at ESPN BET, followed by fellow No. 1 seeds Houston (+550) and Purdue (+700). No. 2 seed Arizona is next with 11-1 odds, ahead of the fourth No. 1 seed, North Carolina (15-1). UConn is looking to become the fifth men's team to win consecutive men's national titles and first since the Florida Gators in 2007-08.
Undefeated and top overall seed South Carolina is the consensus odds-on favorite to win the women's tournament. The Gamecocks were listed at around -135 Sunday night. However, the betting public has been backing Caitlin Clark and No. 1 seed Iowa.
At FanDuel, more bets have been placed -- and more money risked -- on the Hawkeyes to win the national title than any other team this season. DraftKings and BetMGM also reported heavy betting action on Iowa. The Hawkeyes and defending champion LSU Tigers are the second favorites, behind South Carolina.
The Gamecocks open tournament play against the Sacred Heart-Presbyterian winner. The Hawkeyes will face the winner of Holy Cross and UT Martin in the first round.
UConn begins its NCAA men's tournament run Friday against No. 16 seed Stetson. The Huskies opened as 26.5-point favorites, the largest first-round spread for a reigning champion since Duke in 2002.
ESPN's Doug Greenberg contributed to this report.
