March Madness Final Four Betting Preview

The Final Four has been set at March Madness with two No. 1 seeds still in the running, including the overall No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Gonzaga’s shot at a perfect season remains intact as the Bulldogs head for a Final Four matchup with the No. 11-seeded UCLA Bruins. At Bovada Sportsbook, the Bulldogs are heavy 14-point favorites.

Gonzaga big chalk over upset-minded Bruins

Gonzaga has been a strong favorite in every game of the tournament so far and has delivered for bettors with a perfect 4-0 record against the spread. In the Elite Eight, the Bulldogs easily got past the USC Trojans 85-66 as an 8.5-point favorite.

The Bruins are only the second team in tournament history to make it to the Final Four after starting out in the First Four. UCLA has been the underdog in four of its five tournament games, including a 51-49 win over the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines in the Elite Eight. UCLA is also perfect ATS at 5-0.

UCLA and Gonzaga have met up five times in the last 22 years and the Bulldogs are 3-2 straight up and 4-1 ATS. Those five matchups include two previous battles in March Madness. Back in 2015, the Bulldogs defeated the Bruins 74-62 as an 8.5-point favorite in the Sweet 16. One of the most memorable matchups between the Bruins and Bulldogs took place in the 2006 tournament when UCLA erased a 17-point deficit in the second half to edge Gonzaga 73-71 as a 3.5-point favorite.

In the last six games between a No. 1 seed and a No. 11 seed, the matchups are split 3-3 SU while the No. 11 seed is 4-1-1 ATS.

Bears favored by 5 over Cougars in semifinal

In the other Final Four matchup, the No. 1 Baylor Bears face the No. 2 Houston Cougars as a 5-point favorite.

Baylor punched its ticket to the Final Four by knocking off the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks 81-72 as a 7.5-point favorite in the Elite Eight. The Bears are 3-1 ATS in the tournament and in their last nine games overall they’re 8-1 SU and 5-4 ATS. For totals bettors, Baylor has been a strong OVER play. In their last nine games, the Bears are 7-2 OVER and they’re 13-3 OVER in their last 16.

Houston heads into the Final Four on an 11-game winning streak after topping the No. 12 Oregon State Beavers 67-61 as an 8-point favorite in the Elite Eight. The Cougars are 7-4 ATS during their winning streak and 2-2 ATS in the tournament. As an underdog, Houston is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games.

In three matchups between Baylor and Houston in the last 25 years, Houston is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS. It’s been a long time since their last matchup in 2002, when Baylor upset Houston 62-60 as a 7-point underdog.

The last 10 matchups between No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are split 5-5 SU, while the No. 2 seed has a slight edge ATS at 5-4-1.