FanDuel lists hypothetical national championship games for betting
The Final Four is set to get underway tonight in Glendale, Ariz., with a pair of matchups that will determine the eventual competitors in the national championship game on Monday night.
But if you’re looking to bet on the national championship game, you don’t have to wait until after tonight’s action concludes. There are already lines listed for the hypothetical title games.
FanDuel has listed lines for all four possible national championship game matchups, and we’ve got you covered on how they stack up. Check them out below.
Purdue -5.5 vs. Alabama
There are three potential matchups that are expected to be reasonably competitive based on the spread, then one projected blowout. Alabama is not involved in the blowout on either potential matchup, and would, in fact, be favored in one of the two potential matchups it could see.
The matchup against Purdue isn’t it, though. With big man Zach Edey potentially posing a significant problem, life would be difficult on Alabama big men Nick Pringle and Mohamed Wague, among others. Alabama is suited to run and gun, but this game could very well turn into a halfcourt affair if Purdue were allowed to set the tone. Presumably that would favor the Boilermakers.
Alabama -4.5 vs. NC State
The obvious underdog in the tournament at this point as an 11-seed is NC State, and Alabama would emerge as the favorite in the event DJ Burns and company can find a way past Edey and his squad. Finding a way to beat Alabama might prove significantly more difficult.
While the Wolfpack have some quality guards, most notably DJ Horne, they simply aren’t as deep in the backcourt as Alabama. And if Latrell Wrightsell is healthy and available that figures to be even more so the case. Still, a 4.5-point spread is the smallest of the projected hypothetical national championship game matchups and could make for a compelling game.
UConn -15.5 vs. NC State
The lone game where a massive favorite emerges, in theory UConn has both an answer for Burns and for Horne. Donovan Clingan has been a monster in the tournament and would likely hold his own against Burns, at minimum. If he were to win that matchup all the sudden NC State’s prospects look very dicey.
And that’s before we even get to the UConn backcourt, where Tristen Newton and company have been outstanding. UConn’s length and physicality across the board would likely be tough to figure out for NC State, and that’s one of the reasons Vegas has this as such a lopsided potential matchup.
UConn -5.5 vs. Purdue
The final of the hypothetical national championship game matchups, this is the one with the highest probability of being the game. Purdue and UConn are both heavy favorites going into tonight’s respective Final Four matchups.
The matchup between the two programs would be an interesting one. Again, because Klingan has been so good in the NCAA Tournament, there’s a reasonable line of thinking that suggests he could hold his own against Edey. Do that and suddenly it becomes a game where Newton and company can take over.
In any case, we’ll soon know which of these matchups, and its accompanying line, bettors will have the chance to more fully wager on. But if you’re itching to start the action early, you can begin to bet on the hypotheticals already.