March is officially upon us.
New York sports betting will bring a lot of money to bear on March Madness, although it is illegal to bet on games played in the state and games of universities located in the Empire State, regardless of venue.
Knowing that, people who place wagers on NY betting apps still are, at heart, fans of the sport, EmpireStakes.com is providing a look at which New York schools have a shot to make the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament field.
From Albany to Wagner
Twenty-one teams in the Empire State started their seasons with Midnight Madness in October and for the past four months have fought to get to this month to get to the postseason.
Here are the forecasts for all 21 Division I men’s college basketball teams in New York and where they stand at the start of the month.
Albany (8-13 overall, 3-13 America East): season ended 2/28. No postseason for the Great Danes.
Army (16-15, 10-8 Patriot League): Fourth-seeded Army will host fifth-seeded Boston University in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at 6 p.m. Survive and advance.
Binghamton (12-17, 8-8): Fifth-seeded Binghamton will visit fourth-seeded University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the quarterfinals of the America East Tournament Saturday (1 p.m.). Survive and advance.
Buffalo: (14-16, 8-9 Mid-American Conference): Will host Miami (Ohio) Friday (7 p.m.) in regular season finale and await seeding for the next week’s MAC Tournament in Cleveland. Survive and advance.
Canisius: (9-19, 7-12 MAAC): Will host Niagara on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) in regular season finale and await seeding for next week’s MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City. Survive and advance.
Colgate: (23-8, 17-1 Patriot League): The regular-season champion earned the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament and will host eighth-seeded Loyola (Md.) in the quarterfinals on Thursday (7 p.m.). A strong favorite to survive and advance.
BetMGM Future odds to win NCAA Tournament: +100000.
Columbia (7-21, 2-11 Ivy): Columbia finished last in the Ivy League and ends its season at Cornell. No postseason.
Cornell (16-10, 6-7 Ivy): As mentioned, hosts Columbia Saturday. Sits one game back of fourth place in Ivy League. Needs a win over Columbia and a Yale win over Brown to go to tiebreaker for the fourth team in Ivy League’s four-team playoff.
Fordham (23-7, 11-6 Atlantic 10): To say first-year head coach Keith Urgo has resurrected the Bronx-based school is an understatement. The Rams suffered a heart-breaking overtime loss at George Mason Wednesday. They finish the regular season at home against Duquesne Saturday (2 p.m.). Seeding will be determined this weekend for the start of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Tuesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Rams will have to win the tournament to advance to NCAA, but this team is capable of doing it.
Hofstra: (23-8, 16-2 Colonial Athletic): The regular-season champion will host Saturday’s winner between ninth-seeded Elon and eighth-seeded William & Mary in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament Sunday (noon). Survive and advance.
Iona: (22-7, 15-3 MAAC): The top-seeded Gaels, under head coach Rick Pitino, already have captured the regular-season championship with two games remaining: versus Marist (Thursday, 7 p.m.) and at Rider (Saturday, 7 p.m.). Seeding will be determined after this weekend’s games for the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City, which starts with first-round matchups March 7. Iona will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Strong shot to survive and advance. BetMGM Future odds to win NCAA Tournament: +100000.
LIU-Brooklyn (3-26, 1-15 Northeast Conference): The eighth seed lost to top-seeded Merrimack. 91-76, in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament Wednesday. Season over.
Manhattan (11-16, 9-9 MAAC): Manhattan has two regular season games remaining: at Siena on Thursday (7 p.m.) and home against Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday (2 p.m.). The Jaspers then await seeding for the MAAC Tournament. Survive and advance.
Marist (10-17, 6-12 MAAC): Marist is tied for last in the MAAC with two regular season games remaining: at Iona on Thursday (7 p.m.) and home against Quinnipiac on Saturday (7 p.m.). The Red Foxes then await seeding for the MAAC Tournament. Longshot to survive and advance.
Niagara (15-13, 10-9 MAAC): Niagara has one regular season game remaining: at Canisius Saturday (3:30 p.m.). The Purple Eagles then await seeding for the MAAC Tournament. Survive and advance.
St. Bonaventure (14-16, 8-9 Atlantic 10): St. Bonaventure has one regular season game remaining: at Massachusetts Saturday (2:30 p.m.). The Bonnies then await seeding for the A10 Tournament. Survive and advance. BetMGM Future odds to win NCAA Tournament: +200000
St. Francis (NY) (14-16, 7-9 NEC): The seventh-seeded Terriers were bounced from the NEC Tournament by second-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson, 83-75, in the quarterfinals. Season over.
St. John’s (17-13, 7-12 Big East): The Red Storm has one regular season game remaining: at regular-season champion Marquette Saturday (2 p.m.). Seeding to be determined for the upcoming Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York as first-round action begins Wednesday. Survive and advance. BetMGM Future odds to win NCAA Tournament: +50000.
Siena (17-12, 11-7 MAAC): Siena has two regular season games remaining: vs. Manhattan on Thursday (7 p.m.) and at Saint Peter’s on Saturday (2 p.m.). The Saints then await seeding for the MAAC Tournament. Survive and advance.
Syracuse (16-14, 9-10 Atlantic Coast Conference): Syracuse has one regular season game remaining: at home against Wake Forest Saturday (5 p.m.). Seeding to be determined for the ACC Tournament at Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum. Survive and advance in quite possibly head coach Jim Boeheim’s last hurrah. BetMGM Future odds to win NCAA Tournament: +50000.
Wagner (15-13, 8-8 NEC): The fifth-seeded Seahawks lost to fourth-seeded Sacred Heart, 67-55, in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament on Wednesday. Season over.
National Odds Outlook
BetMGM New York has Houston (+600) as the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, with defending champ Kansas and Alabama (both +800), UCLA and Purdue (both +1000) rounding out the top five.
Meanwhile, Draft Kings New York has the following odds on the top five: Houston (+650), Kansas (+800), Alabama (+900), Purdue and UCLA (both +1200).
You can get a DraftKings promo code, as well as BetMGM and other operators, at EmpireStakes.com.
