For those who want to take part in March Madness betting this year, it unfortunately won’t be an option in Colorado. That’s a shame because both Colorado State’s and the University of Colorado’s men’s teams are having great seasons.
Legal sportsbooks around the country, some of which have plans to operate in the Centennial State, have lines on the Buffs’ and Rams’ performances next month. Those odds could get shorter if the success continues.
Where the March Madness betting lines currently sit
Among the legal sportsbooks that have already announced market access deals with Colorado casinos are:
Both of those books have lines on Colorado winning the national championship this year. DraftKings’ line is currently better at +6000; whereas FanDuel pegs the Buffs at +5500.
Both books have Gonzaga as the odds-on favorite to claim the title right now. They also both have lines on Colorado reaching the Final Four.
Again, DraftKings’ line is better at +1400. FanDuel has the Buffs +1000. From that point forward, the two operators diverge.
The only futures currently available on either of these books regarding Colorado State is on DraftKings. The Rams are +3500 to win the Mountain West Conference there.
DraftKings also has odds on Colorado winning the Pac-12, currently set at +400. FanDuel offers odds of +850 on any Pac-12 team winning the national championship.
That line on the Buffs winning their conference this season looks attractive. Right now, Colorado is on pace to do exactly that.
Breaking down the action in the Pac-12 and Mountain West
Colorado currently sits atop the Pac-12 standings for men’s basketball, a game in front of the University of Oregon. The Buffs can claim the tiebreaker with the Ducks if they can win in Eugene on Thursday.
That is by far the most challenging regular-season game that remains on Colorado’s schedule. The Buffs’ other six games are all against teams in the middle or bottom of the conference standings.
Colorado State faces a much more daunting task in winning the Mountain West. The Rams trail San Diego State, which is currently undefeated in conference play, by 4.5 games.
Colorado State has a chance to grab a signature win, however, on Feb. 25. On that date, the Rams face the Aztecs in San Diego. While it may be too late to claim the conference’s regular-season crown by then, it would still look great on Colorado State’s NCAA tournament résumé.
Four teams are within a game of the Rams in the standings. Colorado State has dates with two of them remaining.
While winning a conference regular-season title is great for a program for several reasons, one of the most important is its impact on seeding for the NCAA DI men’s basketball championship tournament. Despite the Buffs’ and Rams’ strong results so far in the regular season, legal sportsbooks don’t expect them to progress far.
Although there are no futures available on the women’s game at either of these books right now, that may change later this month. Unfortunately for fans in the Centennial State, neither of these schools’ women’s teams appear on track to qualify for their national tourneys.
Equally unfortunate is that Coloradans will have to wait for the next year to take part in legal March Madness betting in their state. Legal operators in Colorado won’t start accepting wagers until May 1 at the earliest.
If the Buffs and Rams can replicate their success from this season in 2021, next March could truly be mad in Colorado. This year boasts some exciting games at the very least.
