NCAA: Top seeds boosted ahead of March Madness
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The NCAA basketball season has reached crunch time with March Madness finally here.
A host of potential NBA stars will strut their stuff over the coming weeks in a bid to be crowned 2016 champions and Ladbrokes is getting in on the action by boosting the top seeds from each division.
Kansas lead the charge from the South Regional, Oregon are deemed the best in the West, UNC are the beasts from the East and Virginia head up the Midwest and all four have been boosted by the bookmaker.
All no.1 seeds have been boosted from 6/4 to 2/1 as part of a series of price enhancements, with even more specials to be announced throughout the tournament.
Not sure who to back? Here’s the Ladbrokes News lowdown on the favourites from each region…
Team Leaders
Points – Perry Ellis 16.7 ppg
Rebounds –Landen Lucas 6.3 rpg
Assists – Frank Mason 4.7 apg
The Jayhawks haven’t missed an NCAA tournament since 1988 and with a team full of veterans the ‘been there, done it’ vibe around the team will breed confidence throughout the tournament.
Kansas are by no means a flashy team but they are well organised and do the basics extremely well. They play very well as a team and with Perry Ellis in the zone they will be a danger for anyone who underestimates them.
Team Leaders
Points – Brice Johnsons 16.6 ppg
Rebounds- Brice Johnson 10.6 rpg
Assists – Marcus Paige 3.7 apg
The emergence of Brice Johnson means defences will focus on the Tar Heels’ top scorer but this could open things up for Marcus Paige.
Paige was the main man in his junior and sophomore years but has had to take a bit of backseat since Johnson’s rise. Still capable of posting 20-30 points in a game, though, Paige could once again be the hero for UNC. Michael Jordan may be UNC’s most famous alumni but he didn’t win the tournament as a senior so a chance to do something MJ couldn’t awaits.
Team Leaders
Points – Malcolm Brogdon 18.7 ppg
Rebounds – Anthony Gill 6.1 rpg
Assists – London Perrantes 4.4 apg
Virginia are the number one seed for the second time in three years but the last time they carried that tag they were sent packing by Michigan State in the Sweet 16 and they are on course to meet the Spartans once again.
However, that potential meeting wouldn’t happen until the regional finals and with a busy defence and an attack led by the free-scoring Malcolm Brogdon the Cavs are ones to watch this time round.
Team Leaders
Points – Dillon Brooks 16.8 ppg
Rebounds – Chris Boucher 7.6 rpg
Assists – Dillon Brooks 3.1 apg
Dana Altman’s side boast four scorers who average double figures – Dillon Brooks, who has top scored for the Ducks this season, freshman guard Tyler Dorsey senior forwards Elgin Cook and Chris Boucher.
If these guys bring their A-game, the Pac-12-winning Ducks, who dropped back-to-back games just once all season and went 5–1 against. the other top four teams in the conference, can be expected to go deep into the tournament.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
