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March Madness 2014: Arizona State's early tournament odds

Oddsmakers aren't counting on the Sun Devils to get far but they're certainly not ruling out a first round upset.

Ethan Miller

Arizona State basketball managed to cling to a No. 10 seed on selection Sunday despite ending their 2013-14 season on a three-game slide. But just because the selection committee didn't give up on ASU doesn't mean that the oddsmakers aren't.

The Sun Devils have been given 500/1 odds by Bovada to win the 2014 NCAA Basketball Championship. That's tied with five other teams for the second worst odds in this year's field. The Florida Gators are the likeliest team to win it all at 11/2, according to Bovada.

To even get that far, Arizona State will have to make it out of the murderer's row that is the Midwest Region. Bovada has the Sun Devils' chances of winning the Midwest at 50/1, which is better than every lower-seeded team in the region besides the two No. 11s (Tennessee and Iowa).

Bovada is listing No. 4 Louisville (8/5) as the early favorite. The Midwest's No. 1 seed, Wichita State, has the region's third-best odds at 4/1. No. 2 Michigan, Arizona State's second round opponent if both teams win their first games, is the fourth likeliest team to make it out of the Midwest at 11/2, according to Bovada.

As for their first round matchup, Vegas had the Sun Devils opening as 2.5-point underdogs. Since that time, the line has moved in Arizona State's favor with most outlets now listing the Devils as 1.5-point underdogs.

For those keeping score at home, Arizona State is 3-7-1 in its last 11 games against the spread. Then again, Texas hasn't fared much better as the Longhorns are 1-4 against the spread in their last five outings.

Arizona State (21-11) vs. Texas (23-10)

When: Thursday, March 20 at 6:40 PM MST

Where: Bradley Center (Home of the Milwaukee Bucks)

TV: CBS