Weekend Sports Gambler: Final Four Weekend Is Finally Here
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By Dan Behringer, LVSportsBiz.com Sports Betting Writer
Final Four weekend is here. Finally.
The field of 68 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is now a quartet and a highly unlikely one. If your bracket is in shambles, join the nonexclusive club.
UConn has the lowest odds to cut down the net and claim the trophy in the neighborhood of -125. You can find San Diego State in the +400 range. Miami is generally around +450 to +475. And then there is Florida Atlantic.
“I expect the prognosticators to pick us fifth in the Final Four,” coach Dusty May quipped to reporters last Saturday.
He was close.
The Owls were a 40,000-1 shot when the season opened so if put a few dimes on them back then, this might be a good time to hedge. Their current odds are noticeably better at +625.
“… We don’t ever have a star, or two stars feel like they have to carry the load. It’s truly a group effort. And every night someone picks up the slack for someone else,” May said to ESPN this week.
In the first of Saturday’s semifinal games, San Diego State is -2.5 to -3 vs. Florida Atlantic with the total at 131.5. The late game has UConn is -5.5 vs. Miami with the total at 149.5.
The championship is Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Elsewhere:
— Women’s finals: There are odds up for the NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four as well.
Defending champion and top-ranked South Carolina is a heavy favorite at -340. LSU is +600, Iowa is +800 and Virginia Tech offers the longest odds at +1,400.
“Because it hasn’t had a history like a Tennessee or a South Carolina, people are really quick to doubt you,” Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks told The Associated Press. “We know how good we are.”
In the first semifinal game Friday, LSU is -2 vs. Virginia Tech with the total at 133.5. The second game has South Carolina at -11 vs. Iowa with the total at 150.
Winners meet for the championship on Sunday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Bigger bases, more action? Major League Baseball got underway with a full schedule on Thursday and plenty of attention focused on rules changes that involve a pitch clock, bigger bases and a ban on the defensive shift.
In the futures market, the Houston Astros (minus Justin Verlander who is in a Mets uniform) are anywhere from +600 to +625. The Los Angeles Dodgers, despite being smoked by the San Diego Padres in four games in the NLDS, are +700 to +850.
The New York Yankees are also +700 to +850. The Atlanta Braves are anywhere from +750 to +900. The Mets, Verlander and Max Scherzer & Co., are in the +850 to +900 range.
“We like who we are as a team,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters late in spring training. “We liked how we played a good portion of last year. … There are a lot of guys in that room who have a lot of belief in what we want to accomplish.”
— Chasing the Cup: Is this a good time of year to bet on the Vegas Golden Knights?
The Golden Boys clinched a playoff berth when the Nashville Predators lost Thursday. But they stiffed bettors who backed them at a steep -185 when they lost in overtime to the lowly San Jose Sharks, 4-3.
“Yes, I can see how the first period played out like it did,” coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after the defeat. “But once the game’s on, it’s a group that plays to win. I wouldn’t use it as an excuse at all. At the end of the day, we just didn’t find our A-game.”
Next up are the Minnesota Wild, which the VGK will host Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. A very early line at Odds Shark has the Golden Knights at -137 with the total at 6. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
The Golden Knights have seven games remaining. Playoffs start April 17.
— Frozen Four: But wait, there’s more hockey. And four more teams battling for post-season glory.
The NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, commonly called the Frozen Four, is set for Thursday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
In the first game, Minnesota is -200 vs. Boston University at +160 with the total at 6.5 The nightcap features Michigan at -160 vs. Quinnipiac at +130 with the total at 6.5.
