NCAA Tournament odds: Saint Peter's run to Elite Eight
Saint Peter's has earned a spot in the Bracket Busters Hall of Fame with their historic showing at the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Here's everything you need to know about Saint Peter's stunning run through the NCAA Tournament from a gambling perspective (with all odds via FOX Bet).
The Peacocks, the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight, will take on six-time national champion North Carolina on Sunday after upsetting No. 2 Kentucky, No. 7 Murray State and No. 3 Purdue to reach the Elite Eight.
UPCOMING GAME
SUNDAY
No. 15 Saint Peter's vs. No. 8 North Carolina (5:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
Point spread: North Carolina -8.5 (North Carolina favored to win by more than 8.5 points, otherwise Saint Peter's covers)
Moneyline: North Carolina -455 favorite to win (bet $10 to win $12.20 total); Saint Peter's +290 underdog to win (bet $10 to win $39 total)
Total scoring over/under: 137 points scored by both teams combined
How historic is Saint Peter's run? A No. 13 or No. 14 seed has yet to reach the Elite Eight (only two No. 12 seeds have done so, Missouri in 2002 and Oregon State in 2021).
The Peacocks are the only team to win twice in a tournament as double-digit underdogs (18.5 points against the Wildcats and 13 points against the Boilermakers).
"We did have a few customers take a shot on Saint Peter's before the tournament started, the largest bet being $25 which would pay out $25,000," FOX Bet Sports Trader AJ Devine said. "We also had a handful of customers take them after the first-round upset over Kentucky when their odds shortened to 200/1."
Putting Saint Peter's tournament run into perspective requires venturing into other sports.
"A part of me wants to say I’ve never seen anything as extraordinary as this run by Saint Peter’s, but one team comes to mind: the ‘99 Knicks," said Ric Bucher, FOX Sports NBA analyst. "The eighth-seeded Knicks made it all the way to the NBA Finals, knocking off the No. 1-seeded Miami Heat in the first round, sweeping the fourth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the second and beating the second-seeded Pacers in the conference finals."
Devine said the Peacocks remind him of a soccer squad in England.
"Saints Peter's still has a long way to go to win the championship, but we had their odds at the start of the tournament at 1000/1," Devine said. "The only team I can remember winning a championship with such long odds was Leicester City in 2016, which opened the Premier League season as high as 5000/1."
Bucher said you can't discount Saint Peter's having the confident strut of a, well, Peacock.
"Their ride ('99 Knicks) had some of the same hallmarks as the Peacocks’ — a relatively unknown head coach (Jeff Van Gundy), a lucky bounce here and there (Allan Houston's game-winning jumper vs. the Heat) and flawed but fortuitous officiating (Larry Johnson's four-point play vs. Pacers)," Bucher said. "More than anything, though, what the Knicks shared with the Peacocks is a resolute belief in their game plan – and each other – and a refusal to define themselves by their seeding."
If you feel like throwing down a few bucks down on the Elite Eight, head over to FOX Bet to place your wagers.
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