Final Four Props
The cliché “Time flies when you’re having fun” is an old dusty one, but it really holds true when it comes to March Madness.
It seems like it was just Selection Sunday and with a blink of an eye, the Opening Round, the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight are all in the rearview mirror…and now it’s the Final Four.
Last year, there weren’t really any surprises as the each of top seeds—Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas and UCLA—all made the Final Four.
While there are two No. 1 seeds this year in the North Carolina Tar Heels and the UConn Huskies, the Michigan State Spartans and the Villanova Wildcats decided to crash the party as well.
Of the four, online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com has UNC as the odds-on to win the NCAA championship at -125 followed by UConn at +250, Michigan State at +500 and Villanova at +600.
Listed as a -7.5 point favorite, North Carolina will try to prevent Villanova from reliving its magical 1985 run (shocked Georgetown), while UConn, favored by 4.5-points, will try to punch a ticket to the final by defeating Michigan State.
With the big matchups come a full menu of interesting prop wagers. Checking the board at SPORTSBETTING.com we see several that are attracting a lot of early attention.
When it comes to the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player there are a number of ways to go.
North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough is the odds-on favorite to be named 2009’s MOP at +250 and you need only take a look at the numbers to see why.
With the exception of his team’s Elite Eight tilt against Oklahoma, where he was limited to only 8-points, Hansbrough has averaged 20.3 ppg during March Madness and complemented that with 2.5 steals a game and 7.3 boards a game.
Not to be outdone, Hansbrough’s team mate and North Carolina PG Ty Lawson has been playing despite a toe injury, even missing the team’s opener to Radford.
In three games this tournament, Lawson has also averaged 20.3 ppg but has also averaged 6.7 assists per game; he’s listed at +350.
When it comes to the “Team to score the most points”, the North Carolina Tar Heels are, like many other wagers, the odds-on favorites at -200.
But at +400, the UConn Huskies could be a better option. In its four 2009 March Madness games the Huskies have gone 3-1 on the Over/Under outscoring opponents 103-47, 92-66, 72-60 and 82-75.
Much like the Most Outstanding Player prop, the “Player to score the most points in the Final Four” sees Lawson (+300) and Hansbrough (+200) as options.
But there are other players on the betting menu as well.
Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas is a long shot at +1500 averaging 12.8 ppg this tournament.
At +250, UConn’s A.J. Price might be worth a wager as he is averaging 20 ppg in the last four games.
Ditto for Villanova’s Dante Cunningham, who is listed at +500 and is averaging 17.8 points during this tournament.
The player who will be the Final Four’s top rebounder proves to be an interesting proposition.
Tyler Hansbrough is once again an option at +400 with his 7.3 rpg but is not the odds-on favorite as he is in other props.
Villanova’s Dante Cunningham is averaging 8.3 boards and is at +400 while Michigan State’s Goran Suton with his 11.5 rebounds per game is listed at +250 and UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet and his 11.3 rpg is the odds-on at -130.
Enjoy the last three games of the college basketball season.
The online sportsbooks are buzzing with activity heading into the weekend action…be sure to check out all the betting options and keep up to date on the top sports betting information at the top betting blog on the net.
