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2024 March Madness odds: How many 1-seeds will make the Final Four?

nbcnewsla.com March 21, 2024

The first round of NCAA March Madness is here, and there are countless ways that bettors can dive into the action.

One interesting Madness market involves the tournament’s No. 1 seeds: UConn, Houston, Purdue and North Carolina.

Bettors can wager on how many 1-seeds will make it to the Final Four.

Let’s take a look at the odds via FanDuel.

Number of No. 1 Seeds to make Final Four: *

None: +330 (bet $10 to win $43 total)
One: +120 (bet $10 to win $22 total)
Two: +210 (bet $10 to win $31 total)
Three: +950 (bet $10 to win $105 total)
Four: +5500 (bet $10 to win $650 total)

* odds as of 3/21/2024

The UConn Huskies are the No. 1 seed in the East region. They play No. 16 Stetson on Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET. Over on the South side, the Houston Cougars have claimed the top seed and play No. 16 Longwood on Friday at 9:20 p.m. ET.

On the West side of the bracket, North Carolina will face No. 16 Wagner on Thursday at 2:15 p.m. ET. The Purdue Boilermakers own the top seed in the Midwest. They’ll play No. 16 Grambling on Friday at 7:25 p.m. ET.

For those eyeing four No. 1 seeds at +5500 to make it to the Final Four, here’s some insight from FOX sports wagering expert Chris “The Bear” Fallica:

Avoid picking more than two No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. I know you think it’s hard for these No. 1 seeds to lose, but it happens annually. Since seeding began in 1979, only in 2008 have all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. Last year, none did.

Since all four No. 1-seed teams made the Final Four in 2008, a total of 18 1-seeds have reached the Final Four in the last 14 years.

Since 2010, only 16 No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four. In that span, 12 No. 1 seeds have lost prior to the Sweet 16.

Purdue has been eliminated by teams seeded 16th, 15th and 13th in the past three tournaments.

The top-3 seed most likely to be out in the first weekend is North Carolina.