Final Four Odds – Who Will Emerge?
(The Spread) – To call this weekend’s Final Four “unpredictable” is a major understatement.
Precious few had No. 3 UConn, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU making the trek to Houston – only two of the 5.9 million people that filled out brackets on ESPN.com pegged it correctly – so it’s been a lot of fun for oddsmakers to handicap this remarkable field.
Recently, Bodog’s online sportsbook posted its odds for all of the Final Four teams. Let’s take a look…
No. 4 Kentucky, East Regional Champs +145
With all due respect to the giants VCU has slain this far, no team has survived a tougher road to Houston than the Wildcats. Kentucky had to take on top-seeded Ohio State in the Sweet 16 before facing No. 2 UNC in the Elite 8 – and coming into those games, the Buckeyes and Heels were seen as two of the hottest teams in the country. Kentucky is probably the deepest and most talented team left in the tournament, and they’ve got a veteran coach in John Calipari that knows a thing or two about playing in the Final Four (having previously led UMass and Memphis there). But this is also a Kentucky team that’s young, inexperienced and lacks upper classmen – aside from Josh Harrellson, who has been solid. But with that said, it’s still hard not to like Kentucky as the favorites going into Houston.
No. 3 UConn, West Regional Champs +225
Those wagering on UConn to win this year’s tournament are probably doing so for one specific reason: Kemba Walker. The junior PG by way of the Bronx has stolen the show this March, dominating play not only in the NCAA Tournament but the Big East tourney as well (which is where this outstanding run started). Walker already won the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional following a 20-point, seven-assist effort against Arizona and will be one of the heavy favorites to win tournament MOP. He’s a precious enough talent to lead his team all the way to the title, not unlike how Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to the championship in 2003.
No. 8 Butler, Southeast Regional Champs +325
Butler is easily the most veteran and experienced team in the Final Four, having made it all the way to last season’s championship game. The seniors (Matt Howard, Shawn Vanzant) are complimented by the juniors (Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored) with an important sophomore (6-foot-11 centre Andrew Smith) providing big minutes as well. While they won’t wow you with athleticism or NBA-level talent, the Bulldogs play physical ball and have an uncanny ability to win close games. At +325, they’re good money for a championship wager.
VCU, Southwest Regional Champs +450
Head coach Shaka Smart has done an outstanding job of using the “disrespect” card to motivate his team (several pundits claimed VCU didn’t even deserve to be in the tourney), and he’ll use it once again at the Final Four as the Rams are once again being slotted as the longshot with +450 odds to win the tournament. But can Smart keep working his magic? One has to think that VCU will eventually revert to regular-season form (where they didn’t shoot the ball especially well and were frequently out-rebounded), especially against a Butler team that plays airtight defense and crashes the glass at will.
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