The pinnacle of college basketball features a historic Final Four April 5-7 in San Antonio. All four No. 1 seeds made the NCAA Tournament Final Four for just the second time (2008). This year’s Final Four includes two top SEC teams in one semifinal game with Auburn vs. Florida, and two others who met in last year’s Sweet Sixteen defensive duel Houston vs. Duke.
Those four teams are also part of a NCAA Tournament profile that has produced 21 of the last 22 national champions, who all finished top-20 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. Now Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn also make history as four of the top 10 KenPom teams off all time since advanced stats tracking started in 1996-97.
Final Four Matchups And Odds
Basketball odds and futures from FanDuel Sportsbook refresh periodically and are subject to change. That includes on props and live betting, which is most popular during March Madness. Spreads listed on favorites. All times Eastern.
Sat., April 5
- Auburn vs. Florida (-2.5) | Total: 159.5 | 6:09 p.m. | CBS
- Houston vs. Duke (-4.5) | Total: 135.5 | 8:49 p.m. | CBS
Mon., April 7
- Championship game approx. 9:20 p.m. ET
FanDuel Sportsbook has also posted early point spreads and odds on the potential championship game matchups.
- Auburn vs. Duke (-6.5), 153.5
- Auburn vs. Houston (-1.5), 138.5
- Houston vs. Florida (-1.5), 143.5
- Florida vs. Duke (-4.5), 159.5
Current odds to win the national championship
- Duke (+100), Florida (+280), Houston (+430), Auburn (+500)
NCAA Tournament Updated Bracket, Schedules And Scores
There are many ways to bet these games beyond the spread, total and moneyline. Halftime betting, prop bets including player props will be popular with live betting generating a greater percentage of the sportsbooks handle.
Final Four Historic Stats And Picks
Not only is this just the second time in men’s NCAA Tournament history that all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four, but Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn are also the top-4 teams in KenPom’s efficiency ratings with all four teams now top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They have a combined record of 135-16.
- Duke (1 offense, 5 defense)
- Houston (10,1)
- Florida (2,10)
- Auburn (3,8)
Picks: Houston +4.5 or 5 over Duke. Betting on March Madness is not an option in San Antonio where the Final Four is held as their is no regulated U.S. sports betting within the state of Texas.
The Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN) provides this insight from the editor on Houston-Duke. See all four teams stats profile and insight from their Elite Eight wins.
Both of these teams play at extremely slow paces, which is something to keep in mind when thinking about the total. However, it’s also important when looking at how this game might be played. The Cougars are 360th in the nation in adjusted tempo, and the Blue Devils are 271st in that regard. So, given these are also two of the top-five defensive teams in the country, it’s going to be hard for everybody involved in this game to create offense. That alone makes it hard to say Duke is the easy pick to win this one. Adding in the fact that the Cougars are third in the nation in 3PT% (39.7%) and 13th in 3PT% defense (30.1%) only makes Houston look a little better.
Plus this added analysis and stats on Florida-Auburn.
There are a lot of similarities between the Gators and Tigers. Both teams have fairly similar Rim & 3 Rates, as Florida does check in a bit higher at over 82%, while Auburn is around 77%. The two teams are identical in 3P% defense at 29.6% in games against Division I opponents and Florida is a little bit better at defending 2s, but we’re talking about a very small difference of 0.4%. And, while Florida is 0.5% better at shooting 2s, Auburn is 0.4% better at shooting 3s. All of these stats lined up side-by-side per Bart Torvik’s game preview page sure do make it look like it will be a toss-up type of game
It’s all chalk on the Riverwalk with all four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. This year’s NCAA Tournament has also seen favorites go 48-12 straight up and 33-27 against the spread (ATS). Game totals are 25 overs, 34 unders and 1 push.
Stay in control of your watch and wager action with a game plan outlined on FanDuel to provide tips to help you learn while you earn and understand some of the pitfalls of gambling on sports. Play with your head, not over it as you watch and wager on the four best teams in college basketball determine this year’s national champion.
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