We’re a little under 36 hours away from the 2021 Final Four. The No. 2 Houston Cougars and No. 1 Baylor Bears face off in the early game and then the No. 11 UCLA Bruins and No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs meet in the evening game.
The coming weekend will cap a fairly unique college basketball season, and plenty will be wagered on the two semifinals and the national title game. DraftKings Sportsbook has adjusted its odds, and has released some information on how the public is betting each contest. We’ll break these down further heading into game day, but for now you can see how the public is leaning.
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 1 Baylor
Houston has split their four victories when it comes to beating the spread. They covered as 20.5-point favorites against Cleveland State and 6.5-point favorites against Syracuse, but failed to cover as 7.5-point favorites vs. Rutgers and 8-point favorites vs. Oregon State. Houston’s first game went over the total (134.5 vs. Cleveland State), but has gone under in the three subsequent games (131 vs. Rutgers, 141 vs. Syracuse, 130 vs. Oregon State).
Baylor failed to cover in their first round win over Hartford as 25.5 point favorites and the game went under the point total (138.5). Baylor covered their next three games as 6.5-point favorites against Wisconsin and 7.5-point favorites against Villanova and Arkansas. The They went over against Wisconsin (136.5) and Arkansas (148), but under against Villanova (142.5)
Against The Spread
Houston: +5 (13% of handle, 22% of bets)
Baylor: -5 (87% of handle, 78% of bets)
Moneyline
Houston: +185 (26% of handle, 37% of bets)
Baylor: -225 (74% of handle, 63% of bets)
Point Total
Over: 134.5 (60% of handle, 68% of bets)
Under: 134.5 (40% of handle, 32% of bets)
No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
UCLA started in the First Four and has covered in all five of their tournament games, with four of the five coming as underdogs. They beat Michigan State in the First Four as a 2.5-point underdog, going over the 134 point total. They beat BYU in the first round as a 3.5-point underdog, going under the 139 point total. They were second round favorites over Abilene Christian in the second round, covering 5.5 and coming under 132. They won as 7- and 6.5-point underdogs against Alabama and Michigan, respectively to advance to the Final Four. They went over (144.5) against Alabama and under (137) against Michigan.
Gonzaga is rolling even against huge numbers. They covered in all four wins thus far against Norfolk State (-33), Oklahoma (-15.5), Creighton (-12.5), and USC (-8.5). They went under in the opener (154), over in the second round (156), and under in the Sweet 16 (159.5) and Elite Eight (152.5).
Against The Spread
UCLA: +14.5 (19% of handle, 30% of bets)
Gonzaga: -14.5 (81% of handle, 70% of bets)
Moneyline
UCLA: +700 (59% of handle, 59% of bets)
Gonzaga: -1430 (41% of handle, 51% of bets)
Point Total
Over: 145.5 (50% of handle, 54% of bets)
Under: 145.5 (50% of handle, 46% of bets)
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