Sports Writer
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After a long road of upsets and surprising turns, March Madness draws to a close today. Two teams—the San Diego State Aztecs and the UConn Huskies—find themselves in the running for the coveted NCAA men’s basketball championship.
Who will take the trophy home? Let’s take a look.
Here are the NCAAB odds for the championship from three major sportsbooks.
BetMGM:
DraftKings:
FanDuel:
What do these odds tell us? First and foremost, UConn is largely favored to win this game and take home the March Madness championship. The 7.5-point spread shows us the Huskies are expected to nab a fairly easy victory over the Aztecs. But it’s not always so simple. Only the game itself will determine the winner.
San Diego’s road to the championship was littered with surprises. The Aztecs took down Charleston and Furman in rounds one and two. In the Sweet Sixteen, San Diego State took down the 1-seed Alabama Crimson Tide in a stunning 71-64 victory. After narrowly squeaking out of the Elite Eight thanks to a 1-point win over the Creighton Bluejays, San Diego State met the Florida Atlantic University Owls in the Final Four.
It was another close one. Matt Bradley let the Aztecs in points with 21. Jaedon LeDee nabbed 12. The FAU Owls put up a fight, but the Aztecs earned their spot in the championship by a single point, winning the game 72-71.
All signs point to an uphill battle for the Aztecs in the Championship. They’ve had a strong run, including a handful of 70+ point games, but UConn has been a dominant force in the tournament with almost no slip-ups.
Looking back, UConn has sailed through the tournament. The team’s strong offensive roster and bench depth have led the Huskies straight to the Championship in a series of decisive and impressive wins.
UConn took the Iona Gaels and the Saint Mary’s Gaels by storm in rounds one and two. A Sweet Sixteen win over Arkansas saw UConn score a whopping 88 points to the Razorbacks’ 65. Then UConn pulled off a massive victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs, winning 82-54.
In the Final Four, the Miami Hurricanes couldn’t put a stop to the Huskies. UConn took the game 72-59, the 13-point margin UConn’s smallest in the entire tournament.
According to fans, sportsbooks, and pundits, this tournament is UConn’s to lose. The Huskies’ worst games were wins by 13 and 15 points, respectively, some of those against teams that are better than San Diego State on paper.
The UConn Huskies are favored to win for a reason. I’d be incredibly surprised if San Diego State managed to pull this one out. Stranger things have indeed happened, but I don’t see the UConn Huskies putting up with anything less than a dominant win.
If you’re looking for the best bets, I recommend the UConn point spread on FanDuel, as it carries the best value. The UConn moneyline won’t pay all that well.
Happy betting, and enjoy the championship game!
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