2023 March Madness: Here's How the Final Four Will Play Out
At this point, everyone must be embracing the chaos that is the men’s NCAA Tournament … right?
No?
Yeah, so you’re bracket is shot; whose isn’t?
For the first time in either the men’s or women’s Big Dance, there are zero No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 seeds in the Final Four.
Three out of the four teams (San Diego State, Miami, and Florida Atlantic) headed to Houston are playing in their first Final Four.
Huh? What?!
Exactly. So instead we have the most random tournament of all time.
Well, technically second. Florida Atlantic is a No. 9 seed, SDSU and Miami are both No. 5 seeds, and UConn is a No. 4. The combined seed total of the four teams is 23, the second-highest total since the seeding began in 1979.
Everybody has Connecticut winning this now, which would prove ESPN college hoops analyst Jay Bilas correct on his March 14 prediction that the Huskies would claim their fifth national championship.
UConn is the clear favorite to win its next two games and take home the title.
The odds I’m about to use are courtesy of one of our favorite sites: FanDuel Sportsbook.
But don’t forget about all the other great gambling options across the country including, PointsBet, BetMGM, and more.
Also, be sure to check out our guide to online casinos, from Michigan to New Jersey. You can place all your college basketball future bets through us here at OddsSeeker.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion 2023
Connecticut -130
San Diego State +360
Miami (Florida) +490
Florida Atlantic +600
That’s a rather large number for a Final Four favorite but the Huskies deserved it and certainly earned it.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello: “UConn is the fifth team since 2000 to have at least a +90 point differential through four NCAA tournament games, joining 2021 Gonzaga, 2009 UConn, 2009 North Carolina and 2008 North Carolina. (via
@ESPNStatsInfo).”
That’s, um, beyond impressive.
The Huskies are the top team left according to KenPom.com and they are clearly the most talented team left among the fearsome foursome.
As much fun as it’s been to watch 73-year-old Big Dancin’ Jim Larranaga and his merry band of Hurricanes storm into the Final Four, the Huskies are simply too good, correct? I mean, they’re 5.5-point favorites.
But I’m going the other way. With this kind of year, why not?
Wildly improbable comebacks and upset victories over Houston and Texas have me convinced that Miami is going to find a way to shock UConn.
Miami’s defense has been great during the tourney and ‘Canes center Norchad Omier will match up well with Adama Sanogo who’s been dominant thus far. Miami must keep sharp-shooting Jordan Hawkins at bay. Otherwise, it’s in for a long night.
Moving on to San Diego State and Florida Atlantic.
The reason I’m taking the Aztecs here – and to win it all – is that they have the best defense of any team left. Long, lengthy, and athletic, SDSU held top-seeded Alabama to 32 percent shooting in the Sweet 16 and held Creighton to 11 percent from 3-point range in Sunday’s Elite Eight victory.
Asked what to expect from the Aztecs in Houston this weekend, SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher said, "I would think pretty good defense, to start with."
They’ll need it against a lively Owls offense led by dynamic shooting guard Johnell Davis, who did struggle a bit in the last two games.
That should bode well for SDSU. They have a difficult time scoring themselves with their leading scorer, Matt Bradley, averaging just under 13 points per game.
The Aztecs have depth and generally rotate eight to nine guys and often wear down teams with their tenacity on the glass (both on offense and defense) and by forcing turnovers.
FAU also fields an inexhaustible deep bunch, so I expect this one to be a tight thriller.
The over/under total is only 132 – so an assumed average of around 66 points per team – but even that seems a tad too high.
Take the Aztecs and the under.
As far as the final goes, I mean it’s crazy to go against UConn at this point if the Huskies make it to Monday night.
But we’ve seen it all this month so let’s keep the theme going by taking the Aztecs, who were anywhere from 70 to 60-1 to win it all last November.
Expect a big night from SDSU’s small (5-foot-10) but electric point guard Darrion Trammell who’ll have more than one shining moment as the Aztecs shock the basketball world.
