The No. 1 UConn Huskies take on the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Final Four. UConn is the reigning NCAA champion, but this marks the Tide’s first Final Four trip in school history. The matchup will take place on Saturday, April 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. ET, and the game will air on TBS.
2024 March Madness picks
No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 Alabama best bet
The UConn Huskies have completely dominated every round of the tournament thus far. They blew past Stetson and Northwestern in the first weekend of March Madness. They pulled away from San Diego State late in the first half of their Sweet 16 matchup, and right when it looked like they may have met their match in Illinois in the Elite Eight, the Huskies went on a 30-0 run and won by 25 points to advance to the Final Four.
The Huskies limited the Illini to just 14 points when UConn big man Donovan Clingan was on the court. Clingan leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game. Guard Tristen Newton leads the Huskies in scoring with 15 points per game, and all five UConn starters average double digits in the scoring column. Clingan led the team’s offensive efforts against Illinois with 22 points. The reigning champions are looking just about unbeatable, and enter this matchup as a heavy favorite.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have not been able to pull away to earn a blowout win this tournament. They kept a solid lead in the first round over Charleston, but had to fight in the second round to get past Grand Canyon. In the Sweet 16, the Tide defeated No. 1 North Carolina by just two points, and they staged a comeback against Clemson in the Elite Eight for an 89-82 victory to advance to the first Final Four in program history.
The Tide are a phenomenal offensive team, but tend to have weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. They had the highest scoring average in the nation this season, putting up 90.6 points per game, but ranked 348th in the country in points allowed per game as opponents scored 81.1 points on average. The lack of defense will be a major issue against such an athletic and versatile offense as UConn’s.
Betting lines
Thursday odds
Spread: UConn -11.5
Total: 160.5
Moneyline: UConn -700, Alabama +500
Opening odds
Spread: UConn -11.5
Total: 161.5
Moneyline: UConn -750, Alabama +525
All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best bet: UConn -11.5
UConn’s balanced approach on the court and physical nature of play will take down any team in this tournament. Alabama’s offense will keep them in this game for awhile, but they’ll have no answer on the defensive end of the court for the Huskies’ scoring depth. UConn runs away with it to advance to the title game.