March Madness Betting Advice: Championship Game Matchup and Result
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We’ve made it to the Sweet 16! There are officially 64 potential finals matchups with 128 possible outcomes. So, who and what’s it going to be? It’s time to call your shot!
If you can guess the finalists or the exact outcome of the championship game, the payout will be substantial—whether picking a favorite or a long shot.
Here are a couple of fun plays:
Conservative: If No. 1 Gonzaga meets No. 1 Kansas (+500) and wins, SI Sportsbook will pay at +700 odds.
Long shot: If No. 15 Saint Peters' clashes with No. 2 Villanova (+50000) in the final and wins it all, SI Sportsbook will also pay at +50000 odds.
With plenty of madness surely left in store, I asked the SI Betting staff which NCAA Tournament results they are betting.
Sweet 16/Elite Eight betting previews: Gonzaga-Arkansas | Villanova-Michigan | Duke-Texas Tech | Arizona-Houston| Two Bets for Thursday | Purdue-Saint Peter’s | Kansas-Providence | UCLA-UNC | Miami-Iowa State | Two Bets for Friday | Houston-Villanova | Arkansas-Duke | Best Bet for Saturday
Bet NCAA Tournament Games and Futures at SI Sportsbook
Craig Mitchelldyer/AP
SI Betting ’s Matt Ehalt:
I don't want to brag, but my Final Four is still alive so I’m pretty much an oracle at this point. Kidding. Anyway, I had Gonzaga versus Kansas in my brackets and I don’t see any reason to change this prediction now. Sure, it’s chalk. Sure, it’s not sexy. But I’m getting 5-1 and 7-1 on my money. I really like the Jayhawks’ draw and I’m going all-in on the Zags this year. That’s never backfired on anyone, right? … Right? (Insert Star Wars Meme of Anakin and Padme)
BETS: Gonzaga vs. Kansas (+500), Gonzaga over Kansas (+700)
SI Betting and Fantasy’s Jennifer Piacenti:
I want to stay true to my bracket. Kentucky is out, and I didn’t like the way Arizona beat my alma mater, TCU, so I am going to double down on Kansas and Gonzaga. Let’s go, Bulldogs.
BETS: Gonzaga vs. Kansas (+500), Gonzaga over Kansas (+700)
SI Betting and Fantasy’s Bill Enright:
Pretty much the only thing that doesn’t have a red line or big X through my March Madness bracket is my championship matchup. With Gonzaga and Arizona still playing in the men’s tournament (and playing well), I’ll stick with my original prediction that these two No. 1 seeds meet in the finals.
BET: Gonzaga vs. Arizona (+800); Gonzaga over Arizona (+1100)
Tony Gutierrez/AP
SI Fantasy’s Craig Ellenport:
I’m going to pass on any real analysis and numbers-crunching here and go straight with some betting strategy. Since I’ve already been all-in on Purdue to reach the Final Four, I’m going to hedge that bet just a bit … If Purdue falls in the East, then UCLA would most likely be that region’s Final Four representative. So if that happens, there would be good value in banking on the Bruins winning at least one more game and meeting one of the No. 1 seeds on the other side of the bracket in the title game.
BET: UCLA vs. Arizona (+2200);
SI Betting and Fantasy’s Kyle Wood:
I’m sticking with my championship pick, Kansas, and feeling good about the Jayhawks’ path to a title, especially relative to the other No. 1 seeds. My original pick was for Gonzaga to emerge from the West and represent the left side of the bracket against KU. The way the Bulldogs have played in the tournament, though, I’m not confident they even make it out of this weekend. I’m going to pivot to a UCLA-Kansas final with the Jayhawks still winning it all. The Bruins are legit and have the second-easiest remaining path to the Final Four.
BET: Kansas vs. UCLA (+1600); Kansas over UCLA (+2500)
SI Betting’s Frank Taddeo:
I have three of my Final Four teams still alive, so for arguments sake I will stick with my pre-tournament matchup of Gonzaga over Arizona. Both clubs are strong No. 1 seeds, but this tournament has the feel that one if not both of these clubs may get upset along the way. According to my power rankings, Gonzaga, Arizona, Texas Tech, Houston and Villanova are my top squads remaining. As we know each Arizona and Houston are meeting the Sweet 16 and many of these other clubs could potentially face off and knock out each other so this is far from a market I would invest heavily in. They call it March Madness for a reason!
BET: Gonzaga vs. Arizona (+800); Gonzaga over Arizona (+1100)
Check the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook
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More Betting, Fantasy and College Basketball:
• Final Four, Championship Game and Champion Bets
• Betting Advice: Which Region Will Win it All?
• Betting Advice: Saint Peter’s Futures
• Sweet 16 Lines and Future Odds
• Duke Bettors Suffer Stunning Bad Beat
• How to Bet March Madness
• Top-Four Seeds Against the Spread
• Fantasy Impact: Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins
• Sweet 16 Rankings
• Re-Picking the Bracket
