The NCAA tournament is one of the most exciting events in all sports, as the one-game elimination setup makes it likelier to see upsets compared to a best-of-seven format. This year’s tournament had the second-ever No. 16 seed upsetting a No. 1 (FDU over Purdue), the third No. 15 seed making the Sweet 16 (Princeton), and was the first year ever where no No. 1 seeds made the Elite Eight and no top-three seeds made the Final Four. And while the UConn Huskies showed flashes of dominance this year, at one point being the No. 2 ranked team in the AP poll, the San Diego State Aztecs were considered an afterthought with 65-1 odds to win it all pre-tournament.
Though this is a national championship matchup of a No. 4 seed and a No. 5 seed, it still has a David vs. Goliath feel to it, as UConn is 4-0 in national championship games (all since 1999), while San Diego State is making its first national championship game appearance in school history.
Here are our best bets for the point spread, over/under, and our favorite prop for Monday’s national championship.
- NCAA Tournament: Best Bets for the National Championship
- NCAA Tournament: Best Prop Bets for the National Championship
- San Diego State vs. UConn Same Game Parlay Picks
- San Diego State vs. UConn: 2023 NCAA Tournament Player Prop Bet Picks
- San Diego State vs. UConn: 2023 NCAA Tournament Player Prop Bet Projections
- 2023 NCAA Tournament Championship PrizePicks Player Predictions
Lamont Butler's game-winning buzzer-beater was the 5th in a Final Four game all-time.
He joins:
🏀Jalen Suggs (GONZ, 2021)
🏀Kris Jenkins (VILL, 2016)
🏀Lorenzo Charles (NCST, 1983)
🏀Jerome Whitehead (MARQ, 1977) pic.twitter.com/C83ZGLrXzX— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 2, 2023
All odds via BettingPros consensus
#5 San Diego State vs. #4 UConn (+7.5, O/U 131.5): 9:20 PM ET
Most Outstanding Player
The top two players on the Most Outstanding Player odds list are Huskies, highlighting UConn’s chances to win the game. And while we like San Diego State to cover the spread, we cannot ignore UConn as the rightful favorite to win outright, given that it is just the sixth team since 1985 to win its first five tournament games by double-digits (four of the previous five won the national title).
Huskies center Adama Sanogo is the first UConn men’s player with 100+ points and 40+ rebounds in a single NCAA Tournament. ESPN Stats & Info took to Twitter to expand upon more of Sanogo’s accomplishments.
UConn's Adama Sanogo is the 4th player to average 20 points and 65% shooting in the NCAA Tournament entering the title game over the last 40 years. He joins:
🏀 1994 Corliss Williamson (ARK)
🏀 1991 Christian Laettner (DUKE)
🏀 1984 Akeem Olajuwon (HOU) pic.twitter.com/FlVTF9OR0C— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 2, 2023
Huskies shooting guard Jordan Hawkins heroically shrugged off an illness he had been battling to gut out 25 minutes and score 13 points. While that makes for an interesting storyline, and while Hawkins has scored 21+ points in four of five tournament games, Sanogo has been the face of the team all season and is worthy of being the favorite to win MOP.
Pick: Adama Sanogo (+130, odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.