The 2024 March Madness Final Four tips off on Saturday, April 6 when top Midwest Region seed Purdue takes on 11 seed Cinderella NC State. In a previous blog, we handicapped and chose winners against the spread. In this blog, it’s all about the over/under total. The NC State – Purdue total is an interesting 146 while UConn versus Alabama, the other Final Four matchup on Saturday, shows a total of 160.5.
Which teams combine for over or under the totals?
Keep reading for March Madness over/under picks along with their College Basketball Vegas Odds and game analysis for both games.
2024 Final Four Betting Over/Under Picks | MyBookie Betting Preview of the NCAA Tournament
2024 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament | 85th annual edition of the tournament
11 NC State Wolfpack vs 1 Purdue Boilermakers
11 North Carolina State Wolfpack vs 1 Purdue Boilermakers | Final Four
Total Odds: 146
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 6:09 PM | TBS
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
NC State can light it up when required. But the Wolfpack prefers to utilize the clock and keep their star players, the two DJs, Horne and Burns Jr., fresh. Burns Jr., especially, must stay on the court because he’s the only player on NC State’s squad that can hang with Purdue big Zach Edey.
If Burns Jr. is on the bench, Edey will dominate, which means the Wolfpack could fall behind. Falling behind Purdue is a recipe for disaster. Edey is smart about fouling. So you can’t expect to foul out the big man. So playing slow enough to where Burns Jr. keeps his legs underneath him for 40 minutes is key.
However, Purdue may not allow NC State to slow it down. The Boilermakers like to sit Edey and speed up the game with a four-guard lineup. Unlike past Purdue teams, this one is more guard heavy after Edey. The forwards have handles as well, which means the Boilermakers could force Burns Jr. to run up and down the court.
Purdue scored just 72 versus Tennessee, but the Volunteers allowed Edey to set up shop down low. NC State won’t do that. So expect a high scoring game. 148 to 152 sounds reasonable.
NC State vs Purdue
NCAA Total Pick: Over | March Madness Spreads
MyBookie College Basketball Game Odds
4 Alabama Crimson Tide vs 1 UConn Huskies
1 UConn Huskies vs 4 Alabama Crimson Tide | South Region: Final Four
Total Odds: 160.5
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 8:49 PM | TBS
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
The 160.5 total assumes that both teams score 80. Although that’s possible, it’s impossible seeing Dan Hurley’s team allowing so many points.
The UConn Huskies have held teams to 58 points or less during the NCAA Tournament. For sure, Alabama is the highest average scoring team the Huskies have faced in the NCAA Tournament, but UConn has a way of keeping you from making shots.
Hurley’s defense is reminiscent of his mentor’s D philosophy. Hurley is a Duke alum, which means he learned how to coach defense from the great Coach K. The Huskies know that the more bad shots Bama takes, the easier it will be for them to secure a fifth straight tournament blowout win.
Expect a game that goes well below the 160.5 total. UConn won’t have the same 30-point explosion in this contest that they had versus Illinois. Instead, it will be a slow grind to a 72 to 52, or 76 to 58, something similar, Connecticut victory.
Alabama vs UConn
NCAA Total Pick: Under | March Madness Spreads
MyBookie College Basketball Game Odds
National Championship Odds to Win
Updated Top 25 College Basketball National Championship Odds to Win
Teams | Odds |
---|---|
UConn Huskies | -240 |
Purdue Boilermakers | +170 |
There you have it. Those are our College Basketball Final 4 Predictions.
I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?
College Basketball 2nd Half Odds
MyBookie Odds for the Games
Previous Betting News | MyBookie News Archive
2022 March Madness Final Four Betting Over/Under Picks
Previous Betting News
Now that we’ve finally whittled the field of 68 down to four, we can really diagnose the betting numbers for the two Final 4 games. Kansas will play Villanova in the first game, while two bitter ACC rivals will square off in the second game of the evening, as Duke and North Carolina will clash.
In looking at the over/under totals for both college basketball games, the oddsmakers think that one game will be very high scoring, while the other one will be a defensive battle. Duke and North Carolina are both known to be high-scoring teams, while Kansas and Villanova look to be a defensive battle.
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Villanova Wildcats
The oddsmakers have spoken and have set the over/under at 136.5. Jay Wright’s squads are known for being fundamentally sound and for being very sound on the defensive end of the floor. Villanova is ranked 18th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings.
Villanova allows an average of just over 62 points per game, which makes them one of the better defensive teams in the country. In the tournament, they’re holding their opponents to just over 37% shooting. In their win over Houston, they held the Cougars to just 29% from the field.
As for the Kansas Jayhawks, they averaged just over 78 points per game this season. We don’t see them putting up those kinds of numbers against the staunch Villanova defense. We also look for Villanova Wildcats to try and slow things down, especially without Justin Moore on the floor.
In looking at some of the betting numbers, they’re trending toward the under in this one. The under has hit in six of Villanova’s last seven games.
The under has hit in every game that Kansas has played in this year’s tournament, while it has hit in three of Villanova’s four games. We are going to go with the numbers and take the under in this one.
Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Duke Blue Devils is ranked 45th in the latest KenPom defensive rankings, while North Carolina Tar Heels is 39th. While those numbers aren’t bad, they’re not that good for teams that are among the elite programs in college basketball.
After looking over some of the betting statistics surrounding this game, one stat has caught our eye. In the last six meetings between these two teams, the over has hit in all six of them. Any time that these two get together, the game seems to turn into a track meet.
With all of the extra emotion added to this one in regards to this being Coach K’s retirement season, we think that the action will be fast-paced. The winning team will get to 80 points, and we see this one being close. Although it won’t go over by much, we’re predicting that this one will hit the over.
2016 NCAA Basketball Final 4 Over/Under Picks
Previous Betting News
If you like taking the guesswork out of often arduous ATS picks and you’re looking to cash in both Final Four matchups with winning Over/Under total wagers, then you’re in luck. Thanks to the expert Over/Under college basketball betting analysis that you’re about to get on both Final Four matchups, you’re going to have a great chance to cash in with two potentially winning O/U wagers. Okay, with tip-off times for both games quickly approaching, let’s get started.
NCAA Basketball Final 4 Over/Under Picks
Villanova vs. Oklahoma
When: 6:09 PM ET, Saturday, April 2, 2016
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Odds: Villanova -2
Total: 146
Analysis: Villanova (19-17-1 O/U) played Under the 145-point Total in their Elite Eight matchup against Kansas the last time out after playing over the total in their two previous tourney games. The ‘Cats are 2-2 O/U through four March Madness matchups and 7-3 O/U over their last 10 games overall. Villanova averages 77.5 points per game (65th) and limit the opposition to just 63.6 points per game defensively (15th).
Oklahoma (15-19 O/U) has played under the total in each of their last two tournament games after playing over the total in their first two March Madness matchups. Prior to their tourney opener, Oklahoma played under the total in six straight games and are 2-8 O/U over their last 10 games. The Sooners average a stellar 80.5 points per game (21st) while allowing 70.4 points per game defensively (136th).
Villanova has not given up more than 69 points in all four of their tournament games so far while Oklahoma has held three of their four tournament opponents to 68 points or less. The Sooners and Wildcats played under the 145-point O/U total in their previous meeting this season in December and I believe they’re going to play under the 146-point Over/Under total in their Final Four showdown on Saturday.
Villanova and Oklahoma are allowing a combined 137.4 points per game over their respective last 10 games and I expect this affair to turn out lot like the Wildcats’ 64-59 Elite Eight win over Kansas. The Under is 8-1 in Villanova’s last nine games against teams from the Big 12 while the under is 12-2 in Oklahoma’s L/14 games overall. I like the Under for this contest, but just barely!
The Pick: Under 146 Total Points
No. 10 Syracuse vs. No. 1 North Carolina
When: 8:49 PM ET, Saturday, April 2, 2016
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Odds: North Carolina -9.5
Total: 149
Analysis: Syracuse (18-17 O/U) played over the 122.5-point total in their 68-62 Elite Eight win over Virginia the last time out to snap a three-game under streak that started with their tourney opener. The Orange average a modest 70.1 points per game while limiting the opposition to just 64.6 points per game defensively. Syracuse is 5-5 O/U over their last 10 games and 12-4-1 in their 17 neutral site games.
North Carolina (20-18 O/U) averages a stellar 83.0 points per game while allowing 69.9 points per game defensively. The Tar Heels have played over the total in each of their last two tourney games and three times in four March Madness matchups so far. North Carolina is 5-5 O/U over their last 10 games and 23-10 in their last 33 neutral site games, but the under is 13-5 in their last 18 games against their ACC conference rivals.
These two teams split their two meetings this season when it comes to the O/U outcome. The Heels and Orange played under the 146.5-point total on February 29 in Carolina’s 75-70 home win after playing over the 152.5-point O/U total in the Tar Heels 84-73 road win on January 9. For this matchup, I’m going to urge you to play the Under, seeing as how Syracuse has been playing absolutely stupendous defense throughout their four NCAA Tournament games.
The Orange have not given up more than the 62 points they allowed Virginia to score in their Elite Eight matchup last weekend and I can see this game playing out nearly identically to their last regular season meeting.
The Pick: Under 149 Total Points
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