Every year around the middle of March the Madness officially begins when 65
teams compete for the NCAA College Basketball Championship. The betting interest
is huge, exceeded only by the Super Bowl as casual fans and professional sports
gamblers alike wager on which teams will advance in the Division 1 Men's
basketball bracket.
The NCAA tournament bracket is filled during Selection Sunday, an event in
itself when the bubble teams are eliminated, the final field of 65 March
Madness Teams is determined, and the newest sports "science" of bracketology
begins in earnest.
The five teams that have fared the best historically at the Big Dance and
captured the most NCAA Tournament titles are:
UCLA with a staggering 11 championships, although most of them were in a cluster
in the distant past.
Kentucky, who have won the premier College Basketball tournament 7 times.
Indiana with a very healthy 5 March Madness titles, and one so-so college hoops
movie to their name as well (Hoosiers).
North Carolina with 4 Big Dance titles, and the most recent winner on this list
with a 2005 victory.
Duke, who have only won the tournament 3 times but act like it belongs to them.
Special mention also goes to Florida who won back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles
in 2006/07.
Be sure to check out our March Madness betting pages to get the latest
market moves on the teams that the experts feel have a shot of making the Final
Four, and possibly go all the way to be the next Tournament champion.
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Louisville Cardinals
Want a real rough gem to make it to the final four in the 2009 NCAA Tournament? Bust up numerous brackets by including Louisville. Our Power Ranking surprise for the season.
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are a sexy longshot pick to win it all at the 2009 NCAA Tournament. They play in the competitive ACC and will have plenty to prove at this year's Big Dance.
Connecticut Huskies
UConn are a powerhouse in 2009 and a lot of pundits are picking them to win the NCAA Tournament behind their fiery coach Jim Calhoun. We rate their chances as solid Final Four contenders.
Utah Utes
A possible Cinderella team for the 2009 March Madness brackets is Utah. Flying under the radar atop the mountain west conference the Utes should be good value for money ATS in the Big Dance.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Pitt are ranked #1 in college basketball for 2009 by many handicappers and pundits. Whether they have the fortitude to win the NCAA Tournament remains to be seen, but in terms of talent they must be strong contenders for their share of 09 March Madness.
Butler Bulldogs
March Madness brackets always seem to hinge on that little-known #12 school that knocks out the #5 seed in the first round and then goes to cause havoc until losing with honor in the Sweet Sixteen. Butler is that type of program and this year the Bulldogs could be many experts' underdog of choice.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators won the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and then repeated as champions in last year's Big Dance. Against all expectations coach Billy Donovan has rebuilt the 2008 Gators into contenders once again, and ignoring them in this year's bracket is done at your own peril.
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford is one of our dark horse selections for the 2008 March Madness tournament. The Cardinal have a good tournament pedigree so they're not exactly a true Cinderella team, but we think they will go surprisingly far in the NCAA Tournament.
Georgetown Hoyas
Last year's Georgetown team threatened to go all the way in the NCAA Tournament and knocked out North Carolina before falling to Ohio State. Can this year's team get back to the Final Four?
Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State were highly touted last year, but failed to deliver as they were brushed aside in the Sweet Sixteen by Memphis. This year they are generally considered to be a Top 10 contender once again, but play in a soft conference.
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins are the only team to win the NCAA Tournament 11 times, including seven times in a row from 1967-73, a record highly unlikely ever to be broken. But UCLA has not won March Madness since 1995 and this streak might not end soon either.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The UNC Tar Heels have been to the Final Four 17 times, which is the second best record in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Under hall of fame coach Roy Williams they always appear amongst the list of favorites to win it all at the Big Dance and 2009 March Madness is no exception.
Duke Blue Devils
It's another typically strong season at Duke and the Blue Devils will be near the top of the March Madness betting boards in 2009 once again. The program has the fourth-most wins in the history of men's college basketball, and the most recognizable coach in the sport (Coach K).
Kansas Jayhawks
When the 2009 NCAA Tournament begins one of the teams everyone will feel they need to beat in order to win is Kansas. The Jayhawks are the defending national champions, having won the 2008 Tourney.
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers nearly won it all in 2008 denied only in a thrilling OT against eventual champs Kansas. This year's team is destined to go one better and avenge that bad memory.
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2009 March Madness Promotions |
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March Madness Betting |
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March Madness Odds - Quick
Picks |
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Bodog
Connecticut win at 8/1 |
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Bodog Duke win at 11/1 |
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Bodog Villanova win at 7/2 |
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| | 2009/11/21 03:48:13 AM |
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