2017 NCAA Championship Betting Prediction
Posted by Henry Watkins on Monday,March 27, 2017 10:41, EDT in
Even if you had handed Nostradamus a bracket at the start of this year’s NCAA basketball tournament, there would have been little chance that the man who sees the future would have predicted this Final Four. North Carolina are certainly a team that a lot of people had making it this far, but if you were able to predict that Oregon, South Carolina, and Gonzaga would be there with them, then all props to you. We need to wait until Saturday, April 1st to see the two semi-final games, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t look ahead to see how all of this might play out, keeping in mind that surprises and shocks have been the theme of the tournament this year. Find the latest NCAA basketball betting lines here.
In Depth Analysis On The 2017 NCAA Championship Betting Prediction
#7 South Carolina vs #1 Gonzaga
These are a pair of teams that will be making their first ever appearance in a Final Four, so expect there to be a few jitters on both sides. The Gamecocks are the surprise of the tournament, and they have looked fantastic all the way through. The started with an expected win over Marquette before putting away Duke, Baylor, and Florida, who just happened to be ranked 2, 3, and 4, respectively. There have been no real close calls for South Carolina, and they are a dangerous group.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had one tough scrap on their road to the Final Four, a 61-58 win over West Virginia in the Sweet 16. Oher than that, the Zags have plowed their way past the opposition, looking particularly good on the defensive side of the ball. They have given up just 59 PPG through their 4 games in the tournament. It’s been a great run for the Gamecocks, but I think it comes to an end here:
South Carolina 69 Gonzaga 77
#3 Oregon vs #1 North Carolina
Oregon have had to scrap to get to their second ever Final Four, winning close games versus Rhode Island and Michigan. Those wins were bookended by comfortable wins over Iona in the opening round, and #1 ranked Kansas in the Elite 8. The Ducks need Jordan Bell to continue being a rebounding giant if they are to get past UNC in this one.
UNC were quite comfortable winners in the opening three rounds of the tournament, getting past Texas Southern, Arkansas, and Butler with relative ease. They had a battle on their hands in the Elite 8 round, but were able to outduel #2 Kentucky with a 75-73. This is the 20th appearance in the Final Four for UNC, making them the experienced team of the bunch.
Roy Williams once again has his team in contention for a National Championship, and his experience will be the key to UNC moving on.
Oregon 76 North Carolina 83
Who Wins the NCAAB National Championship?
If my predictions are correct, then we are looking at a Gonzaga/North Carolina final, which I think would be a great one. The edge in experience goes to UNC, which will be enough to see them through against a very tough Zags team.
Gonzaga 71 North Carolina 74
