March Madness 2021: Who Will Win the South Region?

Following the First Four Round on Thursday, the madness is in full swing during the first four full days of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Along with betting on the games at your favorite online sportsbook, betting on which team wins each of the four regions is another great way to get in on all the action.

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The South Region is shaping up to be a highly competitive race to the Final Four based on the future odds to win.

2021 NCAA Tournament South Region Favorites

The Baylor Bears went 22-2 during the season to secure the No. 1 seed in the South. While this has been a highly dominant team during that run, a pair of losses near the end of the season proved that the Bears can be beat.

Baylor should have a fairly smooth ride to the Sweet 16 with North Carolina or Wisconsin in its way in the second round. Villanova or Purdue would be a tough out in the Sweet 16. It still looks like the Bears get to the region final with a possible showdown against Ohio State.

Baylor should win the South but it does not offer the best value in its odds. That honor would go to the Buckeyes, who are more than battle tested coming out of the Big Ten. A late-season rally to the conference tournament finals adds some solid momentum to a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Ohio State did falter through a late-season slump that produced a four-game losing steak but knocking Michigan out of the conference tournament provided a huge boost of confidence. At +400, the Buckeyes get the nod as the top-valued favorite.

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2021 NCAA Tournament South Region Contenders

Purdue could be a thorn in a few team’s side as another solid Big Ten team. As the No. 4 seed in the South, the Boilermakers would have to still get past No. 5 Villanova to get a shot at Baylor. The Wildcats are less than 100 percent due to injuries, so the lean in that potential matchup goes to Purdue.

Another team to watch in the South as a legitimate contender is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lost to Baylor twice in Big 12 play but beating any team three times in the same season can become problematic.

Texas Tech has a tough test right out of the gate against Utah State with Arkansas also in its path to the Sweet 16. This big question for this team is getting past Ohio State in the bottom half of the South bracket.

Expert March Madness Predictions

2021 NCAA Tournament South Region Longshots

With so many good teams in the top half of this list, the value in the longer odds on the board is drained. It is hard to call North Carolina a true longshot but its +1200 odds are rather tempting as a hedge play against the favorites.

Villanova is another veteran team that has a proven history of deep tournament runs. Utah State could make some noise if it plays to expectations. However, going deeper than that on this list is simply a reach given the overall quality of the teams at lower odds.

2021 March Madness South Region Betting Odds

You can bet on NCAA basketball tournament futures at BetOnline this week.

Baylor +120

Ohio State +400

Arkansas +800

Purdue +800

Texas Tech +800

North Carolina +1200

Wisconsin +1400

Villanova +1600

Utah State +1800

Virginia Tech +1800

Florida +2800

Winthrop +4000

Colgate +5000

North Texas +6600

Hartford +10000

Oral Roberts +10000