UConn remains a popular choice among college basketball bettors, but another team is catching the public’s eye as the Sweet 16 approaches.
The Huskies, who are a +200 favorite to win their second straight national championship, have garnered 11.8 percent of tickets and 20.3 of the betting handle to win the tournament at BetMGM Sportsbook, both the most of any team to date.
But since the Round of 64, it’s the North Carolina Tar Heels that have attracted the most bets, getting 13 percent of the tickets at BetMGM since Thursday.
Overall, they trail only UConn with 11.7 of the tickets and 12 percent of the handle.
The Tar Heels impressed during the Round of 32, taking down Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans 85-69, sending bettors their way.
Since the First Four, North Carolina has moved from +1300 to +1100 to win the tournament, which is the fifth-best odds in the field.
North Carolina, which is a 3.5-point favorite over the Alabama Crimson Tide, is also the most popular team at BetMGM in terms of tickets and handle to cover the spread during Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 action.
The Tar Heels opened the season at +2200 to win the national championship, which was tied for the 11th-best odds with Gonzaga and Texas at DraftKings Sportsbook.
NC State remains the biggest liability at BetMGM, although it are still seen as a big-time long shot to cut down the nets.
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The Wolfpack are tied with the Clemson Tigers for the worst odds to win the tournament (+10000).
At +230 on the moneyline against No. 2 Marquette, NC State is currently the most-bet underdog at BetMGM in the Sweet 16 with a whopping 90 percent of bettors backing the Wolfpack to win outright.