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Hey Louisville Cardinals fans, your team had odds of close to 4/1 of winning the 2009 NCAA Championship Final as of March 17, the day after selections were made. An initial line first appeared on TheGreek.com and could be subject to change dependent on how the Cardinals play down the stretch.
Louisville was named the top seeded team of the tournament and probably the most consistent. They were also the only "lock" for a top seed, though Pittsburgh and North Carolina were still pretty big favorites.
Despite being the most deserving of a top seed, Louisville was the least favored to make the final of the four other number one seeded teams.
North Carolina had odds just shy of 2/1 (+185) of making the final while Pittsburgh had odds of 2/1 and Connecticut 3/1 (+305 at TheGreek.com).
Mike DeCourcy had this to say about Louisville's chances in his Sporting News piece:
"Everything's coming up roses for the Cards in this year's Final Four derby. Schedule breaks that helped them win the Big East regular-season championship. Pitt and Connecticut lost early in the conference tournament, and the Cards' title-game opponent, Syracuse, played seven overtimes to make it that far.
"Now, Louisville's dream draw will produce an NCAA championship. The scariest teams (North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pitt) are on the other half of the bracket. The sharpest ballhandling team (Duke), too.
The Cards eventually must beat some great teams. But the longer it can be delayed, the better."
As widely expected, Gambling911.com witnessed its largest traffic numbers by far for a Selection Sunday. 1.5 million hits were registered, most after the 6 pm EST hour.
Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
