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March Madness 2019 Props Roundup: What Are the Odds of Top Seeds Making the Final Four?
There has been only one year that all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four, and that happened more than a decade ago, in 2008. In fact, more recently there was a Final Four that featured no No. 1 seeds. The No. 3 Connecticut Huskies won the 2011 national championship behind star Kemba Walker.
The odds are against that scenario happening in the 2019 NCAA tournament, but bettors can get +650 (bet $100 to win $650) that it will on the March Madness betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
This year, three ACC schools––the Duke Blue Devils (East Region), Virginia Cavaliers (South) and North Carolina Tar Heels (Midwest)––along with the WCC's Gonzaga Bulldogs (West) will all try to get to the Final Four as No. 1 seeds, and oddsmakers believe at least two of them will get to Minneapolis. OVER 1.5 is listed as a -200 favorite (bet $200 to win $100) for the number of No. 1 seeds to make it to the Final Four on April 6 with the UNDER worth +160.
Based on the pure strength of this year's top seeds, the OVER might be the best bet of the entire tournament, but certainly here with regards to props. Last year, the Villanova Wildcats were one of two No. 1 seeds to make it, and they went on to win the title for the second time in three seasons. The Kansas Jayhawks were the other and lost to the Wildcats in the national semifinals.
Two No. 1 seeds last met in the national championship game two years ago when the Tar Heels beat the Bulldogs 71-65 as one-point favorites. Two years before that, the Blue Devils defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 68-63 in a title matchup between two top seeds. But prior to that, it had not happened since 2008. The odds of a No. 1 seed winning this year's NCAA Tournament is -180 while a No. 2 seed cutting down the nets is worth +350.
The four No. 2 seeds this year include two teams both from the SEC––Tennessee Volunteers (South Region) and Kentucky Wildcats (Midwest)––and the Big Ten: Michigan State Spartans (East) and Michigan Wolverines (West).
You can also wager on how many Round of 64 games each conference will win in the Big Dance, with OVER/UNDER totals for the ACC and SEC set at 5.5 while the Big Ten's number is 4.5. The major difference is that the ACC's number is heavily juiced to the OVER (-270) with the UNDER (-170) favored for the SEC. The OVER (-220) is favored for the Big Ten as well. The ACC's Duke is the overall favorite on the March Madness odds at the sportsbooks.
