Iowa March Madness Odds And 2021-22 Preview: Picking The Champion Isn’t A Layup

If you think the college football season has been crazy, wait a couple of weeks when the 2021-22 chase for March Madness gets underway.

Bally’s Interactive Sports Trader Jordan Rongaus said Bally Bet Sportbook Iowa is looking forward to its first March Madness bets. He also offered an outlook for Iowa’s four Division I programs. Iowa, Iowa State, Drake and Northern Iowa all begin play on Nov. 9.

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Big Four March Madness guide

• Iowa schedule highlights and odds
• Iowa State schedule highlights and odds
• Drake schedule highlights and odds
• Northern Iowa schedule highlights and odds
• Your week-by-week composite schedule for Iowa, Iowa State, UNI and Drake

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Gonzaga favorite to win March Madness

The AP released its preseason top 25 on Oct. 18. The sportswriters — and oddsmakers like Rongaus — agree that Gonzaga is the top choice to win the national championship. But Rongaus said picks aren’t as clear-cut as they can be compared to college football.

“When setting or pricing college futures, the biggest difference is March Madness. Realistically, each year how many college football teams have a chance to win it all? Maybe four? Or, in a crazy year, call it eight or so. Odds are the playoff is going to consist of one or two SEC teams and a combination of the winners of the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and ACC.

“When you start talking about March Madness, you need to account for how teams receive tournament bids. Any team that wins their conference tournament gets a bid to the big dance.”

2021-22 March Madness odds

Rongaus said Gonzaga enters this season with the nation’s top newcomer, Chet Holmgren, a 7-foot-tall recruit from Minneapolis. The Bally’s trader said Holmgren “may just be the missing piece Gonzaga needs to make their championship run.”

“Taking Gonzaga out of the picture, there is a lot of buzz around UCLA this season. UCLA is returning four and adding a 5-star recruit, Peyton Watson to the lineup. UCLA is currently priced at 13/1 to win the National Championship.”

March Madness dark horses

One of the Rongaus’ favorite dark horses this season is Auburn, at 70-to-1 odds.

“In 2019, Bruce Pearl took Auburn to their first final four in program history. In the process, they knocked off Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky, joining the elite company as one of the only two teams in NCAA history to beat the three winningest programs in college basketball history in the same season. This season he will have Jabari Smith, one of the nation’s top freshmen, and UNC transfer Walker Kessler leading the team. Look out for Auburn to win the SEC and make a splash in the tournament this season.”

Rongaus also tells Bally Bet customers in Iowa to keep an eye on Virginia Tech at 45-to-1.

“Last year, Virginia Tech entered the tournament as a 10-seed and had a first-round exit, losing to Florida by 5. This season, Virginia Tech is returning four players, three of which were starters last season. With last year’s ACC champions, Virginia, looking slightly weaker this season, keep an eye on Virginia Tech to take home the ACC and make a little run in March.”

Iowa schedule highlights and odds

National Championship odds at Bally Bet: 90-to-1

Rongaus, at Bally’s Interactive, said:

“Iowa is fresh off a disappointing second-round loss last year in March Madness as a 2 seed, with the star player and Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year Luka Garza on the team. Garza moved on to the NBA and Iowa will have to play in a very competitive Big Ten. There’s not much preseason love for the Hawkeyes as they are projected ninth in the conference power rankings this season. With that being said, Fran McCaffery is an experienced coach who has taken four D1 programs to the postseason, including an NIT final four appearance from Iowa in 2013.”

The non-conference schedule is? Not great.

But that might help coach Fran McCaffery as he sets substitution patterns ahead of the conference season. Altogether, the Hawkeyes get 18 games in Iowa City. Sophomore forward Keegan Murray is a member of the preseason All-Big Ten team and should help Iowa Hawkeyes odds.

Most programs schedule multi-team events (MTEs) like an in-season tournament or showcase doubleheaders on a neutral court. The Hawkeyes are an exception this year.

Six home games start the Iowa season

• Longwood
• Kansas City
• North Carolina Central
• Alabama State
• Western Michigan
• Portland State

Tougher tests after the turkey

The matchups get more challenging right after Thanksgiving. There’s a mix of conference and non-conference games:

• at No. 25 Virginia
• at No. 7 Purdue
• No. 11 Illinois
• at Iowa State and
• vs. Utah State in Sioux Falls, SD

SE Louisiana and Western Illinois offer the final tuneups before Big Ten Conference play.

Conference play

The Big Ten isn’t a double-round robin. The “just at home” conference opponents for 2021-22 are Indiana, Michigan State and Northwestern.

The away-only conference opponents are No. 17 Ohio State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.

The home and away opponents are:

• No. 6 Michigan
• No. 7 Purdue
• No. 11 Illinois
• No. 21 Maryland
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Penn State

Iowa State schedule highlights and odds

National Championship odds at Bally Bet: 200-to-1

Rongaus said:

“Last year Iowa State had one of their worst seasons in program history. After just two wins in 24 games last year (0-18 in the Big 12), the Cyclones made a coaching change and brought in T.J. Otzelberger. It looks like Iowa State will be taking the floor this year in the middle of a full rebuild, with five new starters projected to be in the lineup. Early projections have the Cyclones finishing last in the Big 12.”

The non-conference schedule is? Mixed to good. First-year coach T.J. Otzelberger inherits a 2-22 team with a group of talented transfers coming in.

• The Cyclones welcome Oregon State and Iowa to Ames.
• Two NIT Season Tip-Off games (Xavier, then either Virginia Tech or No. 12 Memphis) bookend Thanksgiving Day in Brooklyn, NY.
• They’ll go to Creighton for the Big East Battle and host Missouri for the SEC Challenge.

Low majors, low stress?

Iowa State rounds out the non-conference home slate with:

• Alabama State
• Grambling State
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff
• Jackson State
• SE Louisiana
• Chicago State

Conference play

The Big 12 has a double-round robin, so all Big 12 conference members play home and away. Iowa State jumps right into 2022 when they host Baylor for a New Year’s Day conference opener. The Big 12 Conference Tournament starts Wednesday, March 9, in Kansas City.

The Big 12 has three AP preseason top 25 teams and they’re all in the top eight: No. 3 Kansas, No. 5 Texas and No. 8 Baylor. Iowa State is picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll. The Cyclones won’t be favored often once the conference season begins.

Drake schedule highlights and odds

National Championship odds at Bally Bet: 200-to-1

Rongaus said:

“Drake earned an at-large bid to the tournament last season and won a First Four game, but they were unable to piece a run together and get out of the round of 64. Drake is currently more competitive than UNI. … Preseason projections are expecting Drake and UNI to battle all year with each other and with Loyola, as the power rankings have them 1-2-3 respectively.”

The non-conference schedule is? A typical mix of mutts and purebreds. Drake spent time in the top 25 and picked up its first NCAA Tournament win in 50 years. That was enough to catch ESPN’s attention. The network booked the Bulldogs for the ESPN Events Invitational on Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Sunday, Nov. 28. Belmont is the Thanksgiving opener. Iona or No. 14 Alabama await in the next round. The Sunday opponent will come from either Dayton vs. Miami FL or North Texas vs. No. 3 Kansas.

The Bulldogs have “Holiday Hoopsgiving” with ESPN as well. They play Clemson on Dec. 11 in Atlanta.

Drake hosts Coe College for its Nov. 9 opener. Other non-conference opponents are:

• South Dakota
• Richmond
• St. Thomas (MN)
• at Omaha
• Jackson State
• Chicago State
• St. Louis (in Las Vegas)
• Mount Marty

Conference play

Members of the 10-team Missouri Valley Conference play each other twice each season — home and away. The Bulldogs host the Valparaiso Beacons for its conference opener on Dec. 2. The conference begins play in earnest after the new year.

Drake will join UNI for Arch Madness (March 3-6). Fans will be familiar with the surroundings. The MVC joins the Big Eas as the only Division I athletic leagues to hold their men’s basketball tournaments in the same city for 30 or more consecutive years.

The Bulldogs are the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference and receive a March Madness bid.

Northern Iowa schedule highlights and odds

National Championship odds at Bally Bet: 300-to-1

Rongaus said:

“UNI isn’t a walkover, as they had high hopes last season but were hit with the injury bug and went just 10-12 the rest of the season.”

The non-conference schedule is? Still changing, apparently. On Oct. 11, UNI announced the addition of three home games. Vermont is coming to Cedar Falls on Veterans Day. The Panthers will now host Division III neighbors Dubuque (Nov. 14) and Wartburg (Dec. 29). The Panthers start the season on Nov. 9 with a Nicholls State visit.

UNI’s at-large resume also might get some help from two challenges — at No. 16 Arkansas (Nov. 17) and at No. 23 St. Bonaventure (Nov. 27). A Dec. 5 visit from Richmond should be a quality test as well.

The Panthers are in the Diamond Head Classic Dec. 22-23 and 25 in Honolulu. They open against Liberty, then face Stanford or Wyoming in the next round. The Christmas Day opponent comes from BYU vs. South Florida or Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii.

The Panthers host Jackson State and travel to Marshall before their trip to Hawaii.

Conference play

UNI has a Dec. 1 Missouri Valley Conference test at Bradley. Its run of 17-straight conference games begins on Jan. 2 when Evansville visits Cedar Falls. They’re picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll and received some first-place votes. The Missouri Valley Conference tournament is March 3-6. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness begins in November

November games

December games

January games

February games

March games