Four teams left in the 2017 March Madness brackets. Each won their region. Therefore there is a reason to feel proud. But the job is not done just yet.
Gonzaga and North Carolina are the two one-seeds left in the tournament. Both jump as favorites in the bookie websites, but Kansas and Villanova can tell you that doesn’t mean much at this point.
South Carolina and Oregon are the two surprises here; although putting the Ducks as a surprise is a little excessive. The Gamecocks, however, are the definition of the underdogs. They are the hottest team in the nation. Believe me; they feel like they can’t be stopped.
These are the 2017 Final Four March Madness Betting Picks:
(4) South Carolina Gamecocks vs (1) Gonzaga Bulldogs
- When: Saturday, April 1, 2017
- Game Time: 6:09 PM ET
- Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- March Madness Spread: Gonzaga -7
- Game Total: 138
- TV: CBS
Of the four teams with chances to win the 2017 NCAAB tournament, South Carolina is the most unlikely name out there. They are also the hottest team in the Final Four, and that makes them dangerous. The pay per head sportsbooks made them 7-point underdogs, which immediately I’m willing to take for this game.
The Gamecocks have the best player of the teams’ remaining. There isn’t a playmaker like Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell. He’s been outstanding, and unstoppable throughout the tournament. Thornwell is averaging 25.8 points per game during March Madness. He’s coming off a 26-points performance against Florida in the Elite Eight round and hasn’t shown signs of stopping.
The Gamecocks are the fourth No. 7 seed to reach the Final Four; three of them have come in the last four seasons. Only one 7th-seeded team has come to the title game. It all happened when UConn won it all in 2014.
South Carolina has earned some impressive wins in the first three games of their impressive March Madness run. Beating Marquette (93-73), Duke (88-81) and Baylor (70-50) on consecutive games is imposing by all means. Their victory over Florida in the Elite Eight (77-70) was a confirmation of the great team they have become in the past two weeks.
Gonzaga, however, will give the Gamecocks a different challenge from what they have seen in the tournament. The Bulldogs are a deep team in the paint with great players in the backcourt. Just like South Carolina, Gonzaga has reached the Final Four for the first time in school history.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs hammered Xavier with an 83-89 result every price per head sportsbook as favorites. Their win has to be one of the most remarkable of the season. Four of their starting players scored double-digits in the win over the Musketeers. Junior guard Nigel Williams-Goss led the way with 23 points and eight assists. Junior forward Jonathan Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds. The team just clicked on both sides of the ball.
The pay per head bookie gives Gonzaga a very slight edge over North Carolina in its current odds to win the national title at 7/5. Oregon is third on the list at 4/1, while South Carolina is a distant fourth at 8/1.
Keep in mind; the Bulldogs are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five NCAA Tournament games and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five NCAA Tournament games as a favorite.
The Gamecocks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 NCAA Tournament games, 4-0 ATS in their last four games vs. a team with a winning {c44f53148ca15068631231900821c84f41217af0237910c947d4979ff2d91aa8} above .600, 4-0 ATS in their last four games vs. a team with a winning straight up record and 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 neutral site games.
Final Four March Madness Betting Picks: South Carolina +6.5.
(3) Oregon Ducks vs (1) North Carolina Tar Heels
- When: Saturday, April 1, 2017
- Game Time: 8:49 PM ET
- Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- March Madness Spread: North Carolina -5
- Game Total: 151.5
- TV: CBS
The matchup between Oregon and North Carolina for a spot in the final, it’s a hard one to crack down. The Tar Heels are the favorites in the online bookie software because they are the one seed and have backed it up with their playing style on the court. The per head sportsbook made them a 5-points favorites to beat the Ducks.
North Carolina eliminated Kentucky with a 75-73 thrilling win in the Elite Eight. They moved to 2-1-1 against the spread in the tournament. The thing with the Tar Heels is they have an ingredient the rest doesn’t. They have experience amongst the players and coaching staff. They have been here before. Is that a major thing? The cliché says it is.
The Tar Heels are rallying around junior forward Justin Jackson, who has been quietly outstanding in the tournament. Jackson scored 19 points against Kentucky despite only shooting 1-5 from three-point land. The 19-points performance followed a 24-points showing against Butler in the previous round. He’s their guy to make the run Villanova prevented last season.
Oregon doesn’t mind one-seeded teams. They just beat Kansas 74-60 with their best game of the season. The Ducks held the Jayhawks to just 60 points after they were averaging 96.0 points per game in the first three rounds.
Kansas even admitted Oregon outplayed them. “I’m disappointed for them more than I am for me,” said Kansas coach Bill Self. “But the one thing that happened today, and it’s hard to admit, the best team did win today.”
Oregon was named the favorite by the pay per head services in the first two games of the tournament and an underdog in the last two. The Ducks are 3-1 against the spread in their 2017 March Madness run. They are also 10-3 ATS in their last 13 Saturday games, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog, 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS win and 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games vs. a team with a winning {c44f53148ca15068631231900821c84f41217af0237910c947d4979ff2d91aa8} above .600.
The Tar Heels are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5 points. It’s a bad spot for North Carolina to cover the spread because at this point Oregon has proven they are better than the 3rd-seed they gave them in the tournament. It’s all about grabbing the points in this one.
Final Four March Madness Betting Picks: Oregon +5.