The 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament will come to a close tonight with the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies facing the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers in the National Championship Game. Tipoff from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, is set for 9:20 p.m. ET and the game will air on TBS/TNT/TruTV.
The overwhelming majority of the bets on these games are now in, so we break down how the public has wagered on these matchups at DraftKings Sportsbook.
2024 March Madness
Spread
UConn enters the game as a 7-point favorite and the public is backing it with 71% of the handle and 66% of the total number of bets being pushed towards that direction. Nobody has been able to touch the Huskies as they have a +125 point differential for the entire tournament. The only time they faced any kind of danger was early in Saturday’s Final Four tilt against Alabama, and that’s only because they shot around 40% in the first half.
UConn is 27-12 against the spread this season, so it makes sense for the public to predict it to roll here.
Total
143.5 is the total for tonight’s title game and bettors are leaning towards the over with just over 50% of the money and total bets. Both teams are top five in AdjO on KenPom and both have averaged at least 81 ppg this season. Both teams have the capability of lighting up the scoreboard and Purdue in particular is 23-15 in O/U this season. It’s not a surprise for the public to lean towards the over.
Moneyline
There’s a discrepancy between the moneyline and the spread as moneyline bettors are on the Boilermakers with 65% of the handle and 61% of the total bets being wagered on them winning tonight’s title game. Purdue and Zach Edey are on the cusp of repeating what Virginia did in 2019 by winning a national championship one year after losing to a 16-seed.
While siding with the two-time national player of the year isn’t a reach, it’s difficult to envision anyone stopping this UConn team right now as it is on the cusp of going back-to-back.