The madness of March reached a fever pitch last Sunday when No. 2 UConn delivered a stunning upset, knocking out the tournament's top overall seed, Duke, with a heart-stopping last-second three-pointer. That 73-72 victory, courtesy of Braylon Mullins, wasn't just an iconic tournament moment—it also turned a single $300,000 pregame bet on the Huskies into a staggering $615,000 payday.
Now, the stage is set for a thrilling Final Four this Saturday. UConn, riding that massive wave of momentum, enters as a slight underdog against No. 3 Illinois in the first semifinal. The nightcap features a heavyweight clash between No. 1 seeds, with Michigan a narrow favorite over Arizona.
With the lines so tight, where is the smart money going? We checked in with oddsmakers to see how the betting public is shaping these matchups.
For the UConn-Illinois game, the action has been intriguing. "We opened Illinois as 2-point favorites and soon moved to -1.5," said Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at Borgata. He noted early money coming in on UConn to cover the spread, creating a relatively split betting public. "This could get back to 2, maybe even -2.5... I do expect this to be a decision for us, and we’ll probably need UConn," Gable added, indicating the sportsbook's potential liability lies with the Huskies pulling off another win.
The second game is being treated by many as a de facto national championship preview. "A lot of people are looking at this as the national championship game with probably the top two teams in college basketball facing off," Gable observed. His book opened Michigan as a 1.5-point favorite, a line that has held steady. While the Michigan moneyline has been a popular public wager, the total has seen more movement, ticking up from 156.5 to 157.5 as bettors anticipate a high-scoring affair between two offensive powerhouses.
As the clock ticks down to tip-off, one thing is clear: whether you're backing the surging underdog Huskies or the top-seeded titans, this Final Four promises drama worthy of the Madness name.