So much has changed in the world, much less college sports, since the 2008 Final Four. However, one thing that will be the same 17 years later is it the NCAA Men’s Championship will once again be resolved in San Antonio.
Whether or not the two championship weekends end up having another thing in common remains to be seen, though now is a good time to point out all four No. 1 seeds remain alive and ready to cash on NCAA futures boards.
Yes, it was the 2008 Men’s Tournament when every No. 1 seed make it to the Final Four for the first – and only – time. Higher seeds dominated the first two rounds by winning 37 of the 48 matchups, and there is definitely a feel for No. 1’s to make that happen again.
South Region – SEC & Big Ten Party
Auburn stumbled at the end of the regular season and fell short in the SEC Tournament, yet the Tigers still managed to land the overall No. 1 seed for this year’s dance. The Midwest now has a pair of SEC-Big Ten showdowns in the Sweet 16, and could end up with one conference or the other filling out the Elite Eight lines.
Some top sportsbooks have dropped Auburn to fourth among the No. 1 seeds on the title odds, but Bruce Pearl’s club is a decided 8½-point favorite in a matchup against Michigan, seeded fifth in the Midwest.
The Tigers should have a geographic advantage with the games taking place in Atlanta, where the region begins on Friday with a battle between No. 2 seed Michigan State and No. 6 seed Ole Miss. The Spartans are favored by 3½.
East Region – Duke Draws Thickest Chalk Line
After closing the season No. 1 in both polls, Duke grabbed the top seed in the East and thoroughly dominated its opponents in the opening rounds. That, and being a very public team for oddsmakers to plan around, has the Blue Devils as the favorite to win it all.
Duke is currently around +250 to cut down the nets in San Antonio, and the Blue Devils will try and take the next step towards doing just that in the Thursday nightcap against No. 4 Arizona. The Blue Devils opened -8½ before the line swelled another point.
It’s a rematch from November when Duke traveled to Tucson and beat the Wildcats, 69-55. The Blue Devils were getting 2 in that clash, and pulled away late in the first half thanks in part to Cooper Flagg’s game-high 24 points. Duke also enjoyed a fine advantage on the glass, especially on the offensive end.
Opening up the East Region in Newark is a 2-6 collision between the Alabama Crimson Tide and BYU Cougars. The Crimson Tide have also seen their chalk increase, up to -5½ at most sharp sportsbooks after beginning -4½.
One of seven SEC schools to make it to the Sweet 16, Alabama is the lone conference representative in the East. Both teams fared well with bettors this season with the Crimson Tide 20-15 ATS and BYU 21-13-1.
West Region – Florida Leads San Fran Quartet
From the only region without two SEC entries to the only region not to have both the No1. And No. 2 seeds remaining. Florida is the No. 1, and arrives in San Francisco off a very tough win in the Round of 32 over two-time defending champ UConn.
Playing a long way from home, the Gators are generally showing up just behind Duke on the futures chart, and as 7-point chalk on the NCAAB odds against No. 4 seed Maryland. This is the third SEC-Big Ten matchup in the Sweet 16.
The second game in the Golden Gate City pits No. 3 Texas Tech against No. 10 Arkansas. The Red Raiders are favored by 5½ against a Razorbacks team that is the only double-digit seed left in the tournament after they upset No. 2 seed St. John’s in the Round of 32.
It was the Round of 32 in 2021 when Arkansas and Texas Tech last met. The Razorbacks withstood a second-half challenge from the Red Raiders for a 68-66 win as 2-point underdogs.
Midwest Region – Can Purdue Use ‘Homecourt’ Advantage?
It was another wonderful year for the Houston Cougars who dominated the Big 12 by winning both the regular season and conference tourney titles. And they were rewarded with the No. 1 seed in the South where they advanced with a tough win over Gonzaga last Saturday.
But the Cougars also caught a tough break when the NCAA decided to hold the South Region in Indianapolis, which is just over an hour from where Houston’s next opponent calls home.
That hasn’t stopped the oddsmakers from favoring the Cougars, who have been installed as 8-point favorites against the 4th-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in the Friday nightcap.
Their matchup will follow an all-SEC skirmish between No. 2 Tennessee and No. 3 Kentucky. This is the third time for the Volunteers and Wildcats to meet this season, and despite Kentucky winning outright both times as the underdog, Tennessee is favored once again, this time by 4.
