March Madness Final Four: A Comprehensive Betting Guide
The Final Four Is Here With These Four Electric Matchups
And There Were Four…
Over the weekend, several critical college basketball games dominated the sports schedule, resulting in Alabama, Connecticut, NC State, and Purdue as this year’s Final Four participants. Below we preview these two fascinating Saturday night matchups.
Saturday, April 6th (Spread, Total, Moneyline)
(11) NC State vs (1) Purdue (-9 ½, 146 ½, -435/+340)
Time: 6:09 PM ET on TBS
Before the tournament began, college basketball rumors suggested that No. 11 NC State could be a Cinderella story in the making. Little did anyone know just how true those rumors were as the Wolfpack began their journey with a 13-point victory over No. 6 Texas Tech before outlasting upstart Oakland in overtime. NC State would then shock No. 2 Marquette before dispatching heavily favored Duke over the weekend to punch their ticket into the Final Four.
“Why not us” 🗣️
We hear you, @PackMensBball 😏 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/uav5DugNpP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 1, 2024
Much was expected of No. 1 Purdue and they have thus far delivered on those lofty expectations. Zach Edey’s stats in the postseason have been jaw-dropping as evidenced by his 30 points and 16.25 rebounds per contest average over Purdue’s four March Madness victories. In the Boilermaker’s 72-66 win over No. 2 Tennessee this past weekend, Edey posted 40 points and 16 rebounds.
Zach Edey is now 1-of-5 players in NCAA history with 900 points and 450 rebounds in a season.
The others, you ask? Some of the greats.
✅: Larry Bird (1978-79)
✅: Elvin Hayes (1967-68)
✅: Rick Barry (1964-65)
✅: Oscar Robertson (1958-59) pic.twitter.com/hIH7X3BO5p— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 1, 2024
(4) Alabama vs (1) UConn (-11 ½, 161 ½, -820/+570)
Time: 8:49 PM ET on TBS
No. 4 Alabama remains in the hunt for a national title after making college basketball news by reaching its first-ever Final Four in school history. The Tide’s journey began with an offensive explosion over No. 13 Charleston when the team notched a 109-96 victory before downing Grand Canyon by 11 points in the second round.
But Alabama’s biggest victory came in the Sweet 16 when they upended the heavily favored Tar Heels of North Carolina, 89-87, after rallying from an eight-point first-half deficit. The Tide then dispatched No. 6 Clemson, 89-82, over the weekend to bring the school to within two games of an unprecedented national title.
The University of Connecticut will be Alabama’s daunting challenge in the Final Four as the Huskies have looked virtually unstoppable. Seeded No. 1 in the East Region, the defending national champions have steamrolled the competition.
And counting.#MadeForMarch | #MixForSix pic.twitter.com/Vk2wPtVFQ2
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 31, 2024
UConn barely broke a sweat in their 39-point win over No. 16 Stetson before rolling over No. 9 Northwestern, 75-58, in the second round. A rematch from last year’s national championship game loomed against No. 5 San Diego State but the results were similar as the Huskies once again overwhelmed the Aztecs in a 30-point blowout.
On Saturday night, UConn met little resistance from the Big Ten champions, Illinois, when they cruised to a 77-52 victory in the Elite Eight. To put into perspective how dominant the Huskies have been in the Big Dance, they have defeated their four opponents by an average of 27.7 points per game.
Andy Katz’s #MFinalFour Power Rankings! 👇 #MarchMadness
1. UConn
2. Purdue
3. Alabama
4. NC State pic.twitter.com/BlcFloZCwb— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 1, 2024
