64 teams entered the 2014 NCAA March Madness tournament, but just 16 remain. By the time this weekend comes to a close, only four hopefuls will get the chance to claim the most coveted prize in college basketball: the national championship.
So, which teams should bettors take to make it to the Final Four? Like always, it’s difficult to predict winners in a tournament where almost anything can happen. So instead of trying to prediction the future, today we look back at the past: which seeds and teams have cashed in the most wagers in history?
Read on to boost your knowledge, and more importantly bankroll, as the March Madness tournament rolls into it’s last full weekend.
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Betting Trends for March Madness’ Final Four
To get you acquainted with the trends of the Final Four, we’ve broken down history’s winners and losers by three basic metrics: Final Four appearances by team, conference, and seed. We’ll use these to help you pick a value team based on each of these key indicators. Once you’ve got your horse in this race picked out, cash in on that pick by visiting our college basketball lines section.
Appearances by Team: UCLA, Kentucky
[sc:finalfour240 ]Out of the remaining 16 clubs in the tournament, the UCLA Bruins (+320 to win the South Region) have the most Final appearances with a whopping 17. So far in the Madness, Kyle Anderson and company have won both games by 17 points, but you can bet they won’t do that against the top-seeded Florida Gators (-150 to win the South Region). Still, the Bruins have gotten in done in the past, and as our betting preview breaks down, the Bruins could challenge the No.1 Gators significantly.
During their team’s history, the Gators have made the Final Four just four times – two of which took place during their back-to-back title runs in 2006 and 2007. But as good as UCLA has looked this year, Florida has played even better. Currently, they haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 55 points in the tournament.
If you’re looking for value, the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats (+400 to win the Midwest Region) provide that, considering they’ve made the Final Four 15 times. The Wildcats are playing their best ball of the year and have the ability to beat any team remaining in the tournament.
The Michigan State Spartans (+110 to win the East Region) have made the Final Four eight times, respectively.They will have to take down No. 1 Virginia next to advance, while the Wildcats will have to deal with No. 4 San Diego St. (+500 to win the West Region).
The Spartans aren’t entering the Sweet 16 with a lot of confidence after barely beating Harvard to get past the Round of 32. However, Coach Tom Izzo’s guys have played well overall of late, winning their last five games.
Appearances by Conference: Virginia
The quality of a team’s conference schedule can help or hinder them in their preparation for the wild ride that the NCAA tournament represents. Good teams play better competition in both the regular season and their conference tournaments, and the preparation can be the difference when the going gets Mad.
In the tournament’s history, the Atlantic Coast Conference has produced the most contenders, with 29 appearances in the Final Four. But in spite of that, only one squad from the ACC remains in this year’s March Madness: Virginia (+220 to win the East Region).
The Cavaliers haven’t made much noise so far, though they’ve looked pretty dominant in the last two games. They first outlasted Coastal Carolina, 70-59, to get by the Round of 64, and then beat Memphis, 78-60, to make the Sweet 16. Perhaps even more indicative of their battle-tested ability, however, is their performance in the ACC tournament. The Cavaliers smothering defense led them to a championship over a bevvy of elite teams, and that confidence could easily buoy them into the Final Four.
The Big Ten, on the other hand, has fielded a total of 23 Final Four-bound teams from its conference’s history. This season, three teams can add to that number – Michigan St. (+110 to win the East Region), Michigan (+325 to win the Midwest Region), and Wisconsin (+250 to win the West Region).
While Wisconsin will have to deal with a red-hot Baylor team, the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines will have to hold off the up-and-coming Tennessee Volunteers (+450 to win the Midwest Region).
Tennessee has been great so far, but they’ve been lucky with their series of opponents. They first beat UMass, 86-67, and managed to escape Duke because of the Blue Devils’ upset loss to Mercer. The Volunteers had no trouble dispatching the latter, 83-63, to book their trip to the Sweet 16 trip.
Appearances by Seed: Arizona, Florida, Kentucky
In NCAA Tournament history, the #1 seeds have made the Final Four a total of 56 times. This is no surprise. This year’s top-ranked No. 1 seeds, Florida and Arizona, are still favored to meet in the championship game, while Virginia has a tougher road and is a longer shot.
Our research shows that No. 8 Kentucky also bears a look. No. 8 seeds have out performed other middling seeds (No.s 7, 9 and 10) in making the Final Four, which stands to reason as the No. 8 must always beat a No. 1 to make it as far as the Final Four. The Wildcats did that, eliminating No. 1 Wichita St. in the Round of 32, 78-76.
Whoever you like to make it through this weekend to the Final Four, you can bet all the latest NCAA odds in the Top Bet college basketball odds section.
