A field of 68 teams that started the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament has been winnowed down to four. There’s still one Cinderella standing, as 11-seed N.C. State has made it to the desert. There’s a 4-seed playing in their first Final Four, as Alabama stopped Clemson in their regional final. Then there are two 1-seeds, as Purdue and UConn took care of business in their regional brackets. UConn, the winner of the East Regional, is not only the tournament’s top seed but has won their four March Madness games by a combined 111 points. Their smallest margin of victory was 17 in their round-of-32 win over Northwestern. They just demolished 3-seed Illinois, 77-52, in the Elite Eight. Let’s take a closer look at the Huskies before you have to lock in your March Madness betting on the Final Four.
2024 March Madness Betting Predictions: East Regional Final Four Team Preview
When: Saturday, April 6, 8:49 PM ET
Where: State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ
March Madness Lines: UConn -12 / Totals OU 160
Final Four Experience
The Huskies have won four national championships in men’s basketball, including two since 2010. The rest of the Final Four could be categorized as happy to be here. Purdue hasn’t been to a Final Four since 1980, when Joe Barry Carroll was their center. Now it’s Zach Edey, who has guided the Boilermakers past their reputation of getting knocked out of March Madness way too early. N.C. State hasn’t been to the Final Four since 1983, when a last-second flush sent the Wolfpack to a shocking national championship win over Houston.
Those two schools are on the other side of the semifinal bracket, though. The Huskies’ next opponent is the Alabama Crimson Tide, who have made the Final Four for the first time in school history. Nate Oats has the Tide playing elite basketball, but are they, or Purdue or N.C. State, ready for the Huskies?
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Tournament dominance
Last year, the Huskies delivered punishment through all six rounds. The smallest margin of victory they had in any game en route to their national title was 13. That was the best performance by any team since 1981, when Indiana skated through the bracket.
This year, the Huskies might be even harder to beat. Donovan Clingan, all 7’2” of him, has locke down the paint, and he combined with the rest of his powerhouse team to embarrass Illinois, turning a briefly competitive game into a laugher, as the Huskies went on a 30-0 run at one point. You don’t hear about runs like that much at all, but to see that happen in an Elite Eight game is unthinkable.
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What can Alabama do in the semifinal?
The Crimson Tide have an elite offense. They like to play up-tempo, and they can rain shots down in bunches from behind the arc. Their defense is iffy, so they’ve relied on outscoring the opposition to win. This sounds like a dangerous opponent, but it’s the same blueprint that Illinois uses. The Tide score more on the perimeter than do the Illini, and they run at an even faster pace, but you can’t run-and-gun if you don’t have the ball. Alabama played Purdue earlier this season and saw Zach Edey drop 35 on them, so it will be interesting to see what Clingan can do.
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Why should you doubt the Huskies?
Their Sweet 16 and Elite Eight wins in Boston saw slower starts than what we saw from UConn in the first weekend. They only led San Diego State by four with under two minutes left in the first half of their game. They were tied with Illinois at the same point of their game two nights later. Of course, they stepped on the gas after that, but will Alabama be able to sneak up on them and take the lead if they start slowly?
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Depth and versatility
The Huskies have elite talent on the perimeter and inside, and they can win in a wide variety of ways. If they don’t cool off after that spanking of the Illini, they’re the smart pick to be cutting down the nets Monday night.
Odds to Win March Madness
- UCon Huskies -190
- Purdue Boilermakers +200
- Alabama Crimson Tide +1600
- NC State Wolfpack +1800
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