More than anything else, the start of March means one thing: Madness.
The college basketball season is heating up with key regular season games and positioning for seeding in conference tournaments. So, folks who enjoy Pennsylvania sports betting are turning their attention to figuring out who will be this year’s Cinderella teams in the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament when the 68-team field is announced on Selection Sunday, March 17.
PennStakes.com – your source for PA online casinos - compiled a list of every double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16 since 2000. If history tells us anything, those teams will come from one of the following states:
Double-Digit Seeds in Sweet 16 Since 2000
These tables are compiled by Penn Stakes.com and are not available on any of the fine Pennsylvania sports betting apps.
States with Double-Digit Seeds in Sweet 16
Pennsylvania Cinderella Stories
There have been three Pennsylvania double-digit seeds to make the Sweet 16 since 2000, most recently the 13th-seeded La Salle Explorers, who accomplished the feat in 2013.
La Salle picked up a surprise 63-61 victory over fourth-seeded Kansas State in the West Regional and followed it with another two-point win, 76-74, over 12th-seeded Mississippi. The Explorers then went to the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles but lost, 72-58, to ninth-seeded Wichita State.
The 12th-seeded Villanova Wildcats had a similar run in 2008. They opened with a 75-69 victory over fifth-seeded Clemson and then upended 13th-seeded Siena, 84-72, to advance to the Sweet 16 in Detroit. The run ended with a 72-57 loss to the eventual National Champion, top-seeded Kansas.
In 2001, the 11th-seeded Temple Owls, under the late John Chaney, made an improbable run to the Elite Eight. The Owls started with a 79-65 victory over sixth-seeded Texas in the first round of the South Regional. They then walloped third-seeded Florida, 75-54, to advance to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.
The Owls then upended seventh-seeded Penn State, 84-72, to advance to the Elite Eight, before losing to top-seeded Michigan State, 69-62.
By the way, Ohio led the list with five double-digit seeds to reach the Sweet 16 since 2000, followed by California, New York and Washington (four each).
Looking Ahead to More Madness
This year, the NCAA First Four will take place March 19-20 in Dayton, Ohio, with the first and second rounds tipping off March 21-24.
BetRivers PA has UConn (+500) atop its oddsboard to win the NCAA men’s tournament, followed by Purdue (+650) and Houston (+900).
The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be on March 28-31 with the Final Four at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix April 6, followed by National Championship Monday on April 8.
If you do decide to make a wager on March Madness, be sure to have PA sportsbook promo codes nearby.
