Odds for No. 8-seed Maryland men’s basketball’s second-round matchup against No. 1-seed Alabama

No. 8-seed Maryland men’s basketball and No. 1-seed Alabama will face of Saturday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

As the NCAA Tournament’s top overall seed, Alabama is a hefty nine-point favorite over Maryland, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Crimson Tide are -390 on the moneyline, and the Terps are +320 to win outright. The over/under is 144.5 total points.

A strong start will be key for Maryland to hang with the high-powered Crimson Tide, but it will have to defy the odds to enter the break with a lead. Alabama is a five-point favorite in the first half with -280 odds to lead after 20 minutes.

Before the tournament began, Maryland had the ninth-best odds to make the Final Four in its own region at +2500. It also had +9000 odds to win the national championship.

But after winning their first-round game against West Virginia and a few upsets shaking up the South region, the Terps have seen their chances of making a deep run in the tournament slightly increase. They are currently +1600 to make the Final Four and +8000 to win the title, both still serious longshots but improved from earlier in the week.

Alabama, on the other hand, remains the far and away favorite to represent the South region in the Final Four. The Crimson Tide’s odds went from +190 to +130 to make the Final Four and +650 to +500 to win the national championship — still the second-best odds to be the last team standing.

Let’s look at the favorites to win the South region and the favorites to win the national title.

South region odds to reach Final Four (and to win national championship):

Alabama: +130 (+500)

Baylor: +400 (+2000)

Creighton: +400 (+2000)

San Diego State: +550 (+3500)

Maryland: +1600 (+8000)

Missouri: +1600 (+10000)

Furman: +4500 (+60000)

Princeton: DraftKings does not provide odds for schools in New Jersey

National championship favorites:

Houston: +450

Alabama: +500

UCLA: +900

Purdue: +1000

Texas: +1300

Gonzaga: +1400

Kansas: +1400

UConn: +1600

Marquette: +1800

Baylor: +2000

Duke: +2000

Creighton: +2000