Alabama (4) vs. UConn (1) Final Four Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Huskies opened as solid 11.5-point favourites to win on the college basketball odds, with the total set at 160.5.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. UConn Huskies NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The only other meeting between these teams was early in the regular season last year, with UConn coming out on top 82-67. This is the seventh Final Four appearance for the Huskies and the first for Alabama. UConn is aiming for their sixth national championship in school history which would tie them with North Carolina for third-most titles all-time, trailing UCLA (11) and Kentucky (eight).
It doesn’t bode well for Alabama that they come into this game with losses in eight of their last nine game against Big East opponents. They are also a middling 6-4 straight up in neutral site games this season, while going 5-5 against the spread in those contests. One consistent theme for ‘Bama has been high scoring contests, with the Over hitting in 13 of their last 15 games.
UConn is dominating teams as they ride an 11-game win streak into the Final Four. They’re a perfect 11-0 SU in neutral site games this season season, covering 10 times in that stretch. Despite blowing out teams by an average of over 27 points per game so far in the NCAA Tournament, the total has actually gone Under in the Huskies’ last five games.
Alabama Crimson Tide (4)
Alabama hasn’t blown the doors off anyone in the tournament, but they’ve already managed to knock off one No. 1 seed, taking out UNC in the Sweet 16. The Crimson Tide punched their ticket to the Final Four with an 89-82 victory over No. 6 Clemson in the Elite Eight. Five different players hit double digit points, led by Mark Sears, who finished with a game-high 23. Jarin Stevenson had 19 points while Nick Pringle added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
This is an interesting matchup for Alabama. With all the talk about how many points UConn has been putting up in this tournament, it can be easy to forget the Crimson Tide are the highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 90.6 ppg. The blueprint is there to beat UConn as Creighton managed to dump the Huskies by 19 points in February, in large part because they hit 14 threes. Thanks to their elite offence, Alabama is probably the most capable team of unseating the defending national champs.
Connecticut Huskies (1)
UConn has absolutely dominated this tournament, leading by 30 points at some point in every game. They’ve won by 25 or more points in three of four games, including a 77-52 victory over No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight. Donovan Clingan had a monster performance, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Cam Spencer also came up clutch with 10 points and 11 boards. The Huskies held Illinois to just 25.4 per cent shooting from the field and 26.1 per cent from three.
Most people thought Illinois would be a tough test for UConn and the Huskies ended them quick. Versatility has been key to the offence. The Huskies were just 3-of-22 from three in the second round against Northwestern, but they still managed to win by 17 points because they found other ways to score. They were also limited to three threes against Illinois, but overall they shot 52 per cent from the floor. UConn employs a relentless offence that hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
ALA
CONN