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Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida lead title odds for March Madness, bettors expect chalky results
National News
AP Wire

Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida lead title odds for March Madness, bettors expect chalky results

  • By MARK ANDERSON - AP Sports Writer
  • Updated

Sportsbooks see top seeds Duke, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida as the clear favorites to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship. One betting analyst said the bracket still leaves room for a surprise Final Four run. Bruce Marshall of WagerTalk said he doubts all four No. 1 seeds reach Indianapolis. He pointed to Virginia as a possible breakout team and said Michigan looks beatable in its region. Caesars analyst Patrick Berbert says bettors expect a “chalky” tournament again. He linked that trend to NIL, which he says widens the gap between top programs and others.

National News
AP

Man who helped recruit players into a sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme pleads guilty

  • By MARC LEVY - Associated Press
  • Updated

One of the so-called fixers in a sprawling betting scheme to cash in on big bets on rigged NCAA basketball games has pleaded guilty. The federal prosecutors' office in Philadelphia says Jalen Smith appeared Monday in federal court and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery charges. Prosecutors say the Charlotte, North Carolina, man trained local basketball players and used those connections to recruit players in the scheme. Charges against Smith were unsealed in January along with 25 others. Prosecutors say Smith helped fix games in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. They say he placed bets and recruited players with the promise of a big payment in exchange for purposefully underperforming during a game.