:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53664485/usa_today_9915650.0.jpg)
The No. 5 Virginia Cavaliers take on the No. 12 UNC Wilmington Seahawks in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Over the next couple days, you’re probably going to spend a not-insignificant amount of time poring over your brackets, trying to figure out the best way to pick the winner.
At some point, you’ll probably turn to what the sportsbooks are saying about the Hoos. Virginia opens as an early 8.5-point favorite, as high as 9 points at places like MGM, and as low as 7.5 points at Treasure Island.
Meanwhile, Ken Pomeroy has Virginia as a 9-point favorite over the Seahawks, a predicted final score of 70-61 in a game that pits the nation’s top scoring defense (Virginia allows just 55.6 points per game) against the nation’s 10th-top offense (UNC-W scores an average of 85.2 (!) points per game). For those looking at the over/under, KenPom is predicting 131 combined points.
Looking at the NCAA Tournament as a whole, early odds indicate that Virginia has 40/1 odds of winning the whole shebang, the 16th-best odds in the country and fifth best among ACC schools. Duke is the early favorite at 6/1, while North Carolina is just behind them at 13/2.
The full NCAA Tournament odds are below.
Odds to Win 2017 NCAA Men's Tournament
| School | Odds |
|---|---|
| School | Odds |
| Duke | 6/1 |
| North Carolina | 13/2 |
| Kansas | 17/2 |
| Kentucky | 17/2 |
| Villanova | 17/2 |
| Arizona | 10/1 |
| Gonzaga | 10/1 |
| UCLA | 12/1 |
| Louisville | 14/1 |
| Oregon | 25/1 |
| Florida | 30/1 |
| Florida State | 30/1 |
| Purdue | 30/1 |
| SMU | 30/1 |
| West Virginia | 35/1 |
| Virginia | 40/1 |
| Baylor | 50/1 |
| Butler | 55/1 |
| Iowa State | 65/1 |
| Michigan | 75/1 |
| Minnesota | 75/1 |
| Notre Dame | 80/1 |
| Wichita State | 85/1 |
| Wisconsin | 90/1 |
| Cincinnati | 100/1 |
| Maryland | 100/1 |
| Michigan State | 100/1 |
| Oklahoma State | 100/1 |
| Rhode Island | 100/1 |
| Saint Mary's | 120/1 |
| Northwestern | 200/1 |
| South Carolina | 200/1 |
| Virginia Tech | 200/1 |
| Middle Tennessee State | 250/1 |
| Arkansas | 300/1 |
| Creighton | 300/1 |
| Dayton | 300/1 |
| Kansas State | 300/1 |
| Marquette | 300/1 |
| Miami, Fl. | 300/1 |
| Providence | 300/1 |
| Seton Hall | 300/1 |
| VCU | 300/1 |
| Vanderbilt | 300/1 |
| Wake Forest | 300/1 |
| Xavier | 400/1 |
| Nevada | 500/1 |
| USC | 500/1 |
| Princeton | 850/1 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 2000/1 |
| Bucknell | 5000/1 |
| East Tennessee State | 5000/1 |
| Iona | 5000/1 |
| Jacksonville State | 5000/1 |
| Kent State | 5000/1 |
| Mount State Mary's | 5000/1 |
| NC Central | 5000/1 |
| New Mexico State | 5000/1 |
| New Orleans | 5000/1 |
| North Dakota | 5000/1 |
| Northern Kentucky | 5000/1 |
| South Dakota State | 5000/1 |
| Texas Southern | 5000/1 |
| Troy | 5000/1 |
| UC Davis | 5000/1 |
| UNC Wilmington | 5000/1 |
| Vermont | 5000/1 |
| Winthrop | 5000/1 |