A pair of schools making their first appearance in the Final Four will clash on Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. when the Gonzaga Bulldogs face the South Carolina Gamecocks as 6.5-point betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
No. 1 Gonzaga punched its ticket to the Final Four for the first time with an 83-59 rout of the Xavier Musketeers as 8.5-point chalk in the West Regional final, lifting their overall straight-up (SU) record this season to 36-1 going into Saturday’s Gamecocks vs. Bulldogs betting matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium.
While the Bulldogs have been nearly unbeatable on the scoreboard, they have been uneven performers at the sportsbooks, covering just once in this year’s tournament, and going 4-5-1 against the spread (ATS) in their past 10 outings.
The team has turned in much more consistent results in totals betting, though, with the under prevailing in seven of their past nine games while holding opponents to just 58.6 points per game.
No. 7 South Carolina advanced to the Final Four with a dark horse run at this year’s tournament, highlighted by a stunning 88-81 round of 32 victory over the national championship favourites, the Duke Blue Devils, as 6.5-point underdogs.
However, the Gamecocks’ tournament success has done little to boost their odds to win the national title5, which sit at a longshot +750, well back of the North Carolina Tar Heels, who lead the way as +140 chalk, followed by Gonzaga at +180, and the Oregon Ducks at +550.
No. 1 North Carolina clinched a record 20th Final Four berth with a 75-73 win over No. 2 Kentucky as 2-point favourites in Sunday’s South Regional Final, setting the stage for a clash with the Ducks on Saturday night as five-point betting favourites.
The Tar Heels claimed the ACC regular season crown with a 14-4 SU record but stumbled down the stretch with SU losses in two of their final four outings, and are a middling 3-3-2 ATS in their past eight games overall.
But North Carolina has reached the national championship in their past two Final Four appearances, and are 3-1 SU and ATS in their past four Final Four dates since 2005.
No. 3 Oregon returns to the Final Four for the first time since 1939 after knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks 74-60 as 6.5-point underdogs in Saturday’s Midwest Regional Final.
The Ducks have won SU in 12 of 13 overall, and are unbeaten SU and ATS in three outings this season as underdogs of six or more points. However, they are winless in four all-time dates with North Carolina, dropping a 98-69 decision as 16.5-point underdogs in their last meeting in Nov. 2008.
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