Monday, March 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Copy machines everywhere will be working overtime today. Keep an eye on the scissors, too.
The release of the NCAA Tournament brackets has become one of the nation's most anticipated events. Some want to see if their favorite team made it and where they are seeded, and some just want to get their office pools rolling for the 63-game affair spanning three weekends.
Sports books hoping to maximize betting opportunities dodged two bullets Sunday -- the first when Nevada-Reno lost to Pacific 63-55 in the Big West title game at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno; the second when UNLV wasn't selected for an at-large bid into the field of 64.
With no Nevada teams in the main event of March Madness, sports books were free to list odds on each team to win the national crown and hold their own bracketing contests.
At Bally's, sports book director John Avello posted Kentucky and Kansas as co-favorites to win the tourney, each at 3-1 odds. Bally's grouped 14 teams into a "field" wager at 999-1. The tourney begins Thursday morning.
"They did an OK job," said Avello of the tournament committee. "I picked my 64 teams before they selected, and the only real surprises that I saw were Texas, who was on the fence but got in, and West Virginia, who didn't even though they had a decent year.
"I don't agree with some of the seedings -- but the committee doesn't always look at things the way I do."
Bally's and the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook each will have tournament contests where players select every tournament game against the point spread, with each round of the tournament having an increasing point value. Bally's Basketball Bonanza has a $30 entry fee; the Hilton's March Mania College Basketball Tournament Contest costs $50 to enter.
The Imperial Palace will offer proposition wagers, such as over/under lines on total tournament wins for particular conferences and whether Jackson State will lead against Kansas.
"A couple of years ago we had a similar line when Liberty was playing North Carolina," said Ed Salmons, sports manager at the Imperial Palace. "North Carolina led 7-0 and it looked like Liberty was done, but they came back and actually led 19-18."
Salmons said that it's tough to gauge which games will attract betting action.
"Sometimes you'll see a game with two no-name teams, but it gets a lot of action," he said. "The public tries to play the big-name teams, but they are tough to play, because a team like Kansas will be a 40-point favorite. The games where the eighth seed plays the ninth seed and the seventh seed plays the 10th seed will probably see a little more action."
Salmons was surprised that Georgetown was rated a low 10th seed and how Utah was overlooked as a top seed. The Utes, ranked third in the country, won the WAC Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center last week.
The WAC only had three teams make the field of 64 -- Utah, Tulsa and New Mexico. Four contenders -- UNLV, TCU, Fresno State and Hawaii -- did not get invited.
"The committee penalized a couple of conferences, and the WAC was one of them," Salmons said.
Jay Kornegay, sports book director, thought UNLV was a long shot but figured Hawaii had a chance to make the field.
Avello agreed. "Other than Hawaii, I couldn't see another WAC team in it. There are too many other teams playing more difficult schedules," he said.
archive
