We’re down to four in the March Madness tournament — Arizona, North Carolina, Purdue, and UConn. For expert betting picks on the Final Four games, including the national champion, keep on reading. We’re predicting EXACTLY how this tourney ends.
- What: NCAA Final Four
- When: Saturday, April 6
- Where: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
No. 11 North Carolina State vs. No. 1 Purdue
Neither of the semi-final matchups are particularly close odds-wise. We mean, just take a look at the North Carolina State-Purdue odds currently available at top NCAA basketball betting sites:
Betting this game comes down to your philosophy on sports: momentum vs. talent. Both teams represent those different ends of the spectrum. Of course, Purdue is on the talent end. They’ve been the second-best team in the nation all season long and nothing has changed. The Boilermakers have only lost five times all year long.
Then there’s the red-hot Wolfpack. They’re tied with a bunch of other teams — LSU (1986), George Mason (2006), VCU (2011), Loyola Chicago (2018) and UCLA (2021) — as the lowest-seeded group to make the Final Four. Going back to the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack have now won nine straight elimination games. NC State wouldn’t have even qualified for the Big Dance if they hadn’t taken care of business in the conference tournament so them playing in this spot is nothing short of amazing.
All eyes are on the two big men in this game, both of which have carried their teams this far. Purdue has the best player in the nation, the 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, who is fresh off a 40-point whopper in the Elite 8. NC State’s big, DJ Burns, is far stockier at 275 pounds and only 6-foot-9. It’s an elite heavyweight matchup, and we think both players will come up clutch.
The game’s X-factor might be between guards. Both squads have studs that fly under the radar because of the bigs. For NC State, DJ Horne is averaging 19 points per game in his past five. Then there’s Purdue’s Braden Smith, who is fourth nationally in assists with 7.5 per game. Whichever one of the two outdoes the other could determine who advances to the NCAA finals.
We don’t really see how this game ends too one-sided. The nine-point spread isn’t giving the Wolfpack enough credit and we’re jumping on that betting line heavily. Yes, size up your bet here cause North Carolina State’s run isn’t a fluke by any means. We’re not saying they steal this game, but it’ll be close.
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 UConn
The betting odds for Bama and UConn are even more one-sided. It’s not often you see double-digit spreads in the Final Four but that’s what we have ourselves here:
This betting line isn’t necessarily to disrespect the Crimson Time, but more of an assessment of just how damn good the Huskies are. Here you have the defending champions, who are playing far better than a year ago. After two weekends of the tourney, they’ve trailed for a mere 28 seconds. All four of its wins have been by at least 17 points.
The scary part? UConn could probably be even better. In one tourney game against Northwestern, they shot 3-of-22 from 3-point range. That’s a death wish for just about every team, but the Huskies still won in blowout fashion. In the Elite 8, Illinois was fighting UConn tooth and nail before the Huskies went on a 30-0 run. Yes, 30-0. No disrespect to Alabama, but they’ll fall victim to UConn’s dominance too.
Bonus Bet: UConn vs. Purdue
Believe it or not, there are odds available on this hypothetical matchup already. In fact, all four potential NCAA championship games have early odds up in case it happens. But assuming we’re right, we’re getting Purdue and UConn in the finals. Here’s how those odds shake out:
This is the matchup everyone and their mother wants to see. Both the Boilermakers and Huskies have dominated the college ranks from start to finish. But who wins a head-to-head matchup?
Here again, lay a bet on UConn and its spread. This team is shaping up to be one of the most dominant in the sport's history and you’d be crazy to fade them the rest of the way.
How To Bet On NCAA Final Four?
You know who to bet on in the NCAA Final Four, but do you know where to do it at? If no, then turn your attention to one of the bookmakers featured below. These are the best of the best bookies, per our latest sportsbook reviews. Any one of ‘em has you covered with the full gamut of odds for the final three games — spreads, over/unders, props, and so on.
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