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March Madness is now in full effect. With the tournament officially underway on Friday, March 22, we’re looking at one of the most competitive brackets this year — the West Region. The Arizona Wildcats are the favorites in the region, but there are plenty of teams who could knock them off. You can wager on March Madness Region Winner odds on all of the best online sportsbooks, so check out the betting insight below for this March Madness futures bet market.

March Madness West Region Winner Odds: Arizona favored over UNC, Alabama

Here is a closer look at each of the top contenders to win the West Region.

No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats

Falling to the No. 2 seed in the region helped Arizona’s odds significantly. The top half of the bracket contains the biggest threats, on paper, to defeat the Wildcats — North Carolina, Alabama, and Saint Mary’s.

In the bottom half of the bracket, the Wildcats’ biggest threat will be Clemson or Baylor, who they will no doubt be favored against. Baylor does pose a respectable threat, but the Bears’ offense has been just as vulnerable as Arizona’s lately, and they don’t have a player as explosive as the Wildcats’ Caleb Love to take over the game if necessary.

Whoever wins the top half of the bracket would have gone through a gauntlet just for the rights to play Arizona, which is going to make them a tough out in the region.

No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels

The Tar Heels have the second-best odds to win the region after Arizona. As the No. 1 seed, they wouldn’t meet Arizona until the Elite Eight. What makes the Wildcats so dangerous is their offense. The Wildcats are third in the country in scoring, averaging 87.9 points per game. However, they are averaging just 64.7 in their last three games. Additionally, they have shot under 40% from the field in their last two losses before the tournament.

The Tar Heels’ offense isn’t too shabby either, but their biggest strength is their defense. They allow just 70 points per game to opponents and hold them to just 40.7% from the field. That’s a top 20 shooting defense in the country. The Wildcats’ offense hasn’t been the same down the stretch of the season, and that makes them especially vulnerable to the Tar Heels.

No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama has the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, putting up 90.8 points per game. Their problem is that they also allow 81 points per game. However, the SEC has four programs in the top 20 in scoring — the only conference with that level of fire power. Having to face that caliber of opposing offenses for the bulk of the season would increase the points allowed total for plenty of schools outside of the SEC.

Alabama’s defense has played even worse down the stretch. The Crimson Tide finished the regular season and conference tournament play 2-4-0, allowing 96 points per game in that stretch. As alarming as that is, it may not be too much of a problem against Arizona given how poorly their offense has played lately. The Tide would have to get through North Carolina before meeting Arizona, which takes a significant amount of pressure off the Wildcats in the region. Having to go through both would be a tall task.

Dark Horse Pick: No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s Gaels

The Gaels are the No. 5 seed in the region and would have to get through Alabama and North Carolina to get Arizona, but their long shot odds are worth considering. Saint Mary’s defeated Gonzaga twice this year, including in the WCC Championship game. Gonzaga has a top 10 scoring offense as well, putting up 83.9 points per game. So, although the Gaels are from a smaller conference, they are no stranger to the offensive firepower they will face in North Carolina, Alabama and potentially Arizona.

The Gaels own the second-best scoring defense in the country, only surrendering 69.7 points per game to opponents. They also hold them to 40.4% from the field, which is twelfth best in the country. In the WCC Championship Game, they held Gonzaga to just 60 points. At odds of +1100, they are worth consideration.