East Region betting preview: Can anyone knock off Duke?

We already provided readers with a guide to trends and strategies for placing bets and filling out brackets, but now we're breaking down every region with our picks, long shots, futures, and opening-round bets. Let's start with the East Region.

Odds to win the East Region

*Odds longer than 300-1 not listed

East Region winner: Duke -135

Duke has the shortest odds to make the Final Four of any team in the field of 68 for two reasons: The Blue Devils have been the most dominant team in the country for the last three months, and they have an easy path to the Final Four.

Duke won 27 of its last 28 games, including two wins without Cooper Flagg against tournament teams North Carolina and Louisville in the ACC tourney. Flagg is expected to return for the Big Dance. The Blue Devils need the surefire top pick in the upcoming NBA draft, but they showcased how effective they can be without him. Their offense centered around Kon Knueppel, a dynamic shooter who displayed his pick-and-roll playmaking abilities.

Flagg will have time to adjust to any limitations caused by his ankle injury. The Blue Devils will play the winner of Baylor and Mississippi State - two mediocre teams - with pending matchups against weak No. 4 and 5 seeds. Duke making the Elite Eight is the lock of the tournament; oddsmakers give Duke a 71% chance (-250) to get there, where it could meet Alabama, the toughest opponent in the region.

While Alabama is a legitimate threat with a deep rotation and high-octane offense, this group isn't as good as the one that made the Final Four last year. Defensive struggles and turnovers are an issue, but that didn't hurt the team in the 2024 tourney. The difference is 3-point efficiency: The Crimson Tide shot at least 42% from three in three of their four tournament wins last year, and they've only shot better than 38% from long range twice in their last nine games. It's hard to imagine Alabama catching fire in the tournament again.

Long-shot pick: BYU +1800

No. 6 seed BYU has a difficult first-round game against VCU, but it's got a favorable path if it escapes the opening round. It's on the opposite side from Duke; it wouldn't play the Blue Devils until the Elite Eight.

BYU owns the nation's 11th-ranked offense and can score with anyone. The Cougars' multi-layered attack features reliable shooters and brilliant drivers; the team ranks sixth in the country in 2-point percentage. BYU could face Wisconsin and Alabama as it advances through the bracket. Those teams are stylistically similar to the Cougars, but BYU should be able to keep up. BYU won nine straight conference games before losing to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament.

Best opening-round bet

BYU -2.5 vs. VCU

I feel confident betting BYU at only minus-2.5. This is a classic matchup between a prolific offense and a stingy defense.

VCU won the A-10 Tournament as the favorite. The Rams play a physical brand of basketball, and their top-10 offensive rebounding rate nationally helps them create extra possessions. Luckily for BYU, the Cougars have experience handling physical opponents and high-quality rebounding groups from playing in the Big 12. The Cougars are in the top 20 in total rebounding rate.

VCU's offense won't keep pace with BYU's attack, which has exploded for at least 85 points in six of its last seven wins.

Region future bets

Liberty to make the Sweet 16 (+1400)

Unfortunately, this is the chalkiest region, with Duke and Alabama likely on a collision course to meet in the Elite Eight. Thus, there aren't too many upsets to explore (I promise every other region preview will have more!), but it's worth taking a flier on the 12-seed to make a Sweet 16 run. A double-digit seed has made the Sweet 16 in 16 straight tournaments. Why not Liberty against a vulnerable Oregon squad as the 5-seed and potentially an overrated Arizona team as the 4-seed?

It's smart to target teams capable of catching fire from three over a few games. Liberty owns the nation's fifth-best 3-point percentage, connecting on 39.5% of its long-distance attempts. The Flames are also a respectable defensive team, holding opponents to under 99 points per 100 possessions - a top-50 mark in the country, per KenPom. Liberty has the formula to make a run, and it's worth a flier at +1400.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.