The 2021 NCAA Tournament got underway on Thursday night with the First Four Round. This leaves 64 teams across four regions to battle it out for this season's college basketball's national championship.
At the top of the list in the West Region as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The West Coast Conference Champions breezed through the regular season undefeated and they bring a perfect 26-0 record into the opening round.
The No. 1 seed in the East as the other region on the left side of the bracket is the Big Ten's Michigan Wolverines. Some of the value in their odds to march all the way to the Final Four was lost with a 2-3 record over their last five games. However, when Michigan is at its best, to would be a formidable obstacle in anyone's path to the national title.
On the right side of the bracket, the Big 12's Baylor Bears are the top seed in the South Region. This is another team that appeared to be unstoppable until a few late-season losses cut into its betting value to win it all.
The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region is the Illinois Fighting Illini. This is another Big Ten power in the strongest college basketball conference this season. Coming off a successful run to the conference tournament title, Illinois carries quite a bit of momentum into its quest for the national championship.
As part of my college basketball coverage for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats, I previewed all four regions in this year's Big Dance to come up with the best value in each team's betting odds gain a berth in the Final Four.