Final Four Game 2 Betting Preview

The Final Four concludes Saturday night with another unpredictable matchup between the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes and the No. 4 Connecticut Huskies.

At Bovada Sportsbook, the Huskies are 5.5-point favorites. The Huskies have reached the Final Four six times in their program’s history, but they weren’t expected to do it this year despite being chalk in all four of their tournament games.

Huskies favored over Hurricanes in second semifinal

UConn booked its ticket to the Final Four by crushing the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs 82-54 as a 2.5-point favorite in the Elite Eight. Following their rout of the Bulldogs, the Huskies are 10-1 straight up and 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 games. When favored this season, they are 28-7 SU and 23-12 ATS.

In the Huskies’ previous five Final Four matchups, they are 4-1 SU and ATS, with two of those wins coming as the favorite. In their last 14 tournament games overall, the Huskies are 11-3 ATS.

The Hurricanes are making their Final Four debut after upsetting the No. 2 Texas Longhorns 88-81 as 3.5-point underdogs in the Elite Eight. That was their third straight upset after previously knocking off the Houston Cougars 89-75 as 7.5-point underdogs and the Indiana Hoosiers 85-69 as 1.5-point underdogs.

Miami has been a profitable wager as an underdog

As an underdog this season, the Hurricanes have been a profitable bet at 7-4 SU and 9-2 ATS. In the NCAA Tournament, they’ve also rewarded bettors with a 7-1 ATS record in their last eight games, which includes a 5-1 ATS mark as an underdog. In their last 14 tournament games as a dog, the ’Canes are 8-6 SU and 10-4 ATS.

The Huskies and Hurricanes have met up frequently in the last two decades but never in the NCCA Tournament. In the last 16 matchups, the Huskies are 9-7 SU and 5-11 ATS. They last clashed in 2019 when Connecticut won 80-55 as a 1.5-point favorite.

March Madness matchups between No. 4 and No. 5 seeds are quite frequent, including three already in this year’s tournament. In those three matchups, the No. 4 seed is 2-1 SU and ATS. In the last 10 matchups, the No. 4 seed is 6-4 SU and ATS.