As we gear up for March Madness, let's take a look at some value picks to reach this year's Final Four.
The early favourites to win the 2024 NCAA tournament are the UConn Huskies (+475), followed by the Purdue Boilermakers (+650) and the Houston Cougars (+850). We’re looking past the top tournament favourites, however, to select a few value picks to reach this year’s Final Four.
You can also check us out for a complete list of college basketball game odds and college basketball futures.
Arizona +240
Don’t sleep on the Arizona Wildcats to make their first Final Four appearance since they finished as runners-up in the 2001 national title game. They have the second-highest scoring offence in the nation (90.0 points per game) and their defence is stronger than the stats would suggest.
The big knock against Arizona is a few questionable losses against Stanford, Oregon State and twice against Washington State. On the other hand, they also have wins against marque programs like Duke, Wisconsin and Alabama, so the Wildcats have proven to be dangerous against strong teams.
Tennessee +300
The Tennessee Volunteers have never reached the Final Four, but they’re coming off their second-best NCAA tournament results last year with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Transfer Dalton Knecht has been a big boost to the team, averaging 20.0 ppg and ranking as one of the top three-point shooters in the country.
Losses to top tier March Madness contenders like Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina earlier in the season are concerning, but they have a chance to make a real statement heading into the NCAA tournament. The Vols close their regular season against Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina and Kentucky. If Tennessee makes it through that stretch of games relatively unscathed, they’re worth a Final Four future.
North Carolina +425
Despite losses in two of their last four games, the North Carolina Tar Heels looked poised to go on a run in the NCAA tournament. They lead the ACC with a dangerous lineup anchored by an elite backcourt of RJ Davis and Cormac Ryan, and Armando Bacot down low. Davis ranks ninth in the nation in scoring (21.3 ppg) and Bacot is tied for 10th in the nation in rebounding (10.3 rpg).
North Carolina’s regular season finale against longtime rival Duke will likely decide which team gets top seed in the ACC tournament, so they still have a bit of heavy lifting to do before the NCAA tournament, but the Tar Heels are an atrractive option to reach the Final Four for the second time in three years.
