2011 Southwest Regional Bracket Odds Odds

All March Madness betting odds available at Sportsbook.com.

The 2011 NCAA Men’s Tournament brackets have been set and first round action gets underway with two play-in games on Tuesday and two on Wednesday as part of this year’s expanded field of 68 teams. The rest of the field takes to the court on Thursday and Friday in what will now be considered the second round.

Sportsbook.com has opened the Kansas Jayhawks as the third-favorite to win the national title at +500, and they will start the tournament as the No.1 seed in the Southwest Region. Kansas has left little doubt that it is one of the best teams in the country with eight straight wins including an 85-73 victory over Texas in the Big 12 Tournament title game. The Jayhawks should have a clear path to the Sweet 16 with Boston University and the UNLV/Illinois winner in their first two rounds. This should pit Kansas against No.4 seed Louisville in the next round.

The Cardinals, who are +3000 to win it all, are still licking their wounds from a heart-breaking 69-66 loss to Connecticut in the Big East Tournament Championship, but should have little problem putting that loss behind with a win over Morehead State in their first game and a victory over the Vanderbilt/Richmond winner in their second to land themselves in the Sweet 16.

Louisville will be a handful, pushing Kansas to the final tick of the clock, but stick with the Jayhawks to pull out the win as it is too early for a team this good to bow out of this tournament.

The bottom side of the bracket starts with Notre Dame as the No.2 seed and at +2500 to win a national title. The Irish played their way out of a No.1 seed with an 83-77 OT loss to Louisville in the Big East semifinals, which should provide some solid motivation for this veteran group of players. They will face Akron in their first game and most likely Texas A&M in their second. The Aggies will not go quietly, but Notre Dame advances to the Sweet 16.

No.3 seed Purdue, at +2000 to win it all, is sitting pretty with a fairly easy path to the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers start things off against St. Peters and then draw the winner of No. 6 Georgetown and the play-in game winner of USC/VCU. The Trojans should come out of this trio, but no matter which of the three teams make it to the next round they will not get by Purdue.

The Notre Dame vs. Purdue matchup in the Sweet 16 is an Indiana basketball’s fans ultimate dream and the game should live up to its hype. It also presents a perfect opportunity for the Irish to prove it should have been a No.1 seed and they take full advantage of it with a convincing win over their in-state rival.

The Kansas vs. Notre Dame matchup in the Elite Eight has the makings of an instant classic as both these teams bring a wealth of talent and experience into this game. The Irish, behind seniors Ben Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis, and Carleton Scott come away with the upset to make their first Final Four appearance since 1978.