NCAA Tournament Bracket 2022: Which No. 1 Seed Will Lose First? March Madness Odds

For 67 teams, March Madness 2022 will end in disappointment. That’s especially true for the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament bracket because they are part of the group that has a real chance to win college basketball’s national championship.

Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas and Baylor are the four No. 1 seeds in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The latest March Madness betting odds suggest that the Big 12’s top seeds have the best chance of being eliminated first.

Baylor has +175 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to be the first No. 1 seed to lose. Kansas isn’t far behind with +185 odds to exit the NCAA Tournament before the other No. 1 seeds.

Arizona has +225 odds. As the top overall seed in the entire March Madness field, Gonzaga has +400 odds to lose before Arizona, Baylor and Kansas.

Baylor is the defending national champion, though it’s been 15 years since a team won two consecutive titles. The Bears are the only No. 1 seed that didn’t win their conference tournament. LJ Cryer, Baylor’s top scorer, will miss at least the first weekend of March Madness. Cryer is dealing with a foot injury and has only played one game since Jan. 25.

Baylor defeated Gonzaga in last year’s title game. Both teams were No. 1 seeds. The Bulldogs entered the game with a perfect record.

Arizona’s 31 wins are the most of any team in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas hasn’t fallen out of the top-10 in the AP Top 25 Poll all season long.

There’s a good chance multiple No. 1 seeds will make the Final Four. On average, 1.64 No. 1 seeds win their NCAA Tournament region each year.

DraftKings sets the odds of exactly one No. 1 seed reaching the Final Four at +130. Two No. 2 seeds in the Final Four have +175 odds. Three No. 1 seeds in the Final Four are given +650 odds.

With +4500 odds, it’s a long shot that every No. 1 seed will make the Final Four. The odds of every No. 1 seed losing in the Elite Eight or earlier is +400.

Every No. 1 seed made the Final Four in 2008 for the only time in history. The Final Four has featured exactly three No. 1 seeds five times.

In the 2011 NCAA Tournament, every No. 1 seed was kept out of the Final Four.