In a Final Four no one saw coming, bettors are predictably putting money on the most familiar names remaining.
Despite being the overwhelming favorite (-125) to win the national title next week in Houston, fourth-seeded UConn has nevertheless raked in 62 percent of the handle on 53 percent of the bets at DraftKings since the Final Four was set.
The Huskies will face fifth-seeded Miami in the Final Four and No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic will square off with No. 5 seed San Diego State on the other side of the bracket. San Diego State has what appears to be a slightly easier path to the title game, and therefore a slightly shorter number than Miami (+380 at DraftKings). Yet the Hurricanes (+475) are far and away the second-most popular bet, with 24 percent of the tickets and 20 percent of the handle.
This is the first Final Four in the seeding era to feature no teams seeded No. 1, 2 or 3 in their region. According to Action Network, the four teams’ combined odds to win the title entering the NCAA Tournament would add up to +34,6000, the third-highest total on record.
BetRivers reported that UConn, Miami, San Diego State and FAU combined for just 17.1 percent of the total handle and 12.3 percent of the total bets placed on the championship.
It was similar at DraftKings. While 10 percent of the handle and 8 percent of the bets during the course of the season have gone to UConn, the four teams still standing have combined to rake in about 16 percent of the money and 15 percent of the bets. –Field Level Media
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