2017 Tournament: Public Loves Michigan, Experts Like Pokes

We’re still a day away from Oklahoma State-Michigan in Round 1 from Indianapolis, and the picks keep rolling in. One interesting trend we have notices is how heavily the public is piling on Michigan to win.

First-round game with most-lopsided action @LVSuperBook: Oklahoma St-Michigan. 81 percent of bets, 94 percent of money on the Wolverines.

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) March 15, 2017

That’s insane in an 8-9, 7-10 or even 6-11 game. Ninety-four percent of money? Interestingly the New York Times (purveyors of fake news, I know) did a study showing that the Cowboys were one of the teams least favored by the public and most favored by experts (like Jay Bilas).

Michigan was the opposite (hat tip to our graphics guy Chris Knox for finding this).

Pretty fascinating stuff. OSU was picked 18 percent more heavily by those who watch a ton of hoops than by the rest of us plebeians. This doesn’t necessarily mean the majority of pundits like OSU to win, only that they like the Pokes much more than the public does. I feel great about this (which is never a good thing, right?)

Brad Underwood can play the “nobody believes in us” card as Jawun Evans and Co. bust brackets nationwide. It’s also interesting how little folks believe in the Big 12 as a whole. Look at how much more experts believe in Kansas State and WVU than the public. It’s as if the entire conference has been categorically written off across all sports.

Unsurprisingly, with the public piling on the Maize and Blue, the Wolverines have gone from a 1-point favorite to a 2.5-point favorite at most Vegas books. Whether you think they’re going to win or not, right now would be a good time to take OSU and the points.