Gonzaga Is Final Four Favorite

Competing in the Final Four at the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are clear betting favorites against the South Carolina Gamecocks for their national semifinal game on Saturday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The Bulldogs are 6.5-point favorites against the Gamecocks for Saturday’s Final Four matchup, and -265 chalk on the moneyline for the game. South Carolina is the +225 underdog on Saturday’s moneyline with the OVER/UNDER set at 138 points for totals bettors.

Gonzaga has lost only once so far this season, falling in an upset to the BYU Cougars late in the regular season. The Bulldogs rolled through their conference tournament to earn a No. 1 seed in March Madness, then topped South Dakota State, Northwestern, West Virginia, and Xavier in their first four games of the NCAA Tournament to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

After going 0-2-1 against the spread in their first three games of the NCAA Tournament the Bulldogs finally picked up a cover in their Elite Eight win over the Musketeers, claiming an 83-59 victory as 8.5-point favorites in that game. Nigel Williams-Goss led the way for Gonzaga with a 23-point performance against Xavier, while Johnathan Williams was good for 19 points.

That was the fourth UNDER result in the last five games for Gonzaga, and the seventh in their last nine outings. The Bulldogs have also failed to cover the spread in two straight games since the middle of February, going 4-5-1 ATS in their 10 most recent games on the lines.

Gamecocks 4-0 ATS at NCAA Tournament

The Gamecocks entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed, winning four straight games without being the betting favorite in any outing to also make the Final Four for the first time.

South Carolina topped Marquette 93-73 in a pick’em matchup in their March Madness opener, then shocked the tournament with an 88-81 victory over Duke in the Round of 32 as 6.5-point underdogs. The Gamecocks then knocked out two more high seeds to claim the East region, getting past Baylor in the Sweet 16 and Florida in the Elite Eight as 3-point dogs both games.

That has South Carolina 4-0 ATS at the NCAA Tournament heading into Saturday’s contest.

Still, the Gamecocks trail at +750 on the odds to win the NCAA Tournament with just four teams left in the field, with the Bulldogs at +180 on those betting futures. The North Carolina Tar Heels lead the way as the +145 favorites, with the Oregon Ducks set at +525 on the odds.

*Odds as of March 30, 2017