Irresistible Fours
NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four Betting Edition
There are scant few nets to be scissored, trophies to be raised, broadcast cuts left to players who never get in the game but over-celebrate on the bench.
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament - the most popular betting event of the American calendar - and the increasingly popular and bet-upon women’s bracket have distilled themselves into their respective Final Fours. (Finals Four?)
NC State and UConn have made glorious gluttons of themselves, with their men’s and women’s teams advancing to within two wins of glory. For the Huskies’ men, they can cash their favorite status into a repeat as champions. (And you, those back-stopping future bets).
But this weekend is really about who has that Powerball ticket NC State future bet in their sweaty palm. These are the smarties who just need their pre-tournament momentum hunch to last two more games.
Even though the Wolfpack lost seven of its last nine regular season games, was never ranked in the AP Top 25, and needed an unlikely ACC tourney championship to nab an 11 seed in the South in the NCAAs, they saw something. Maybe it was in DJ Burns Jr. (below).
N.C. State was +100000 to win the national championship before the ACC crown and entered the NCAA tourney at +20000 to win a national championship. That’s the fifth-longest ever to advance to a Final Four.
2018 - Loyola-Chicago: +38000
2011 - Virginia Commonwealth: +30000
2017 - South Carolina: +28000
2016 - Syracuse: +27500
2024 - North Carolina State: +20000
2011 - Butler: +20000
Quoth Tipico:
% ML split between N.C. State and each of its opponents since the ACC Tournament:
UNC: 17% of moneyline bets
Texas Tech: 47%
Oakland: 61%
Marquette: 29%
Duke: 37%
On the women’s side, a potential South Carolina-Iowa final would have a legitimate chance to shatter betting records just set by the Hawkeyes-Tigers very-layered, very-watchable Elite 8 contest.
As those two shining moments approach, Gaming Today is ready to hit you as you flash to the betting window, travel - no call - and score.
AP photos: Brant James illustrations
Final Four(s) Odds …
All Eyes on Women’s NCAA Hoops
AP Photo
From bet365 on the Iowa-LSU Elite Eight match-up:
Hype Creates History: This game was the most bet women’s basketball game in bet365 history. Last year’s final between LSU-Iowa and the Iowa-Ohio State match last month where Caitlin Clark broke the scoring record round out the top three.
The number of bets on the moneyline alone in the US was the most in NCAA Women’s Basketball ever.
Per subscriber and Fanatics content editor Max Meyer:
More from Fanatics:
The game received more than two times more tickets than any other women’s tournament contest and nearly two times more handle. USC-UConn ranked second in each category.
Iowa-LSU brought in more than three times more bets than the No. 3 women’s game in tickets (Iowa-West Virginia) and 3.5 times more money than the No. 3 women’s game in handle (Iowa-Colorado).
At FanDuel:
LSU vs. Iowa was the #1 betting event on FanDuel [Monday], ahead of all NBA, MLB, and NHL games. UConn vs. USC was the third-highest of the day.
[Monday’s] LSU vs. Iowa game garnered a 28% increase in handle over the 2023 women’s national championship game.
NC’s Armando Bacot Harassed After Loss
Ugly incidents making the case for foes of NCAA prop betting
“It’s terrible,” Bacot told reporters. “I thought I played pretty good last game, but I looked at my DMs, and I got, like, over 100 messages from people telling me I sucked and stuff like that because I didn’t get enough rebounds.”
Numerous states have banned single-player NCAA props, the kind Bacot was referring to as the source of his harassment after an 89-87 tourney loss to Alabama.
Louisiana became the latest this week. Single-player NCAA props will vanish there on Aug. 1. There almost certainly will be more following the lead of states like Ohio, and, originally, New Jersey.
Many angry/sad/overserved sports enthusiasts have yelled something salty when their beloved player/team has (maybe) dogged it, fluffed one, whatever.
I hope we can agree here, though, that it takes an idiot to yell at an 18-20-ish player for failing to fulfill that prop while sitting in the alumni section.
I’m sure we can also agree here it takes a special kind of idiot to advance this to social media or direct digital contact. That’s pathological.
And it doesn’t matter if these miscreants foist NIL and the transfer portal as proof that college players are professional athletes. They won’t because these athletes are just data points for bets or DFS parlays that are just bets with a different sticker.
To this end, NCAA president Charlie Baker calls for a national ban on college props.
Keep in mind that Baker is no anti-gambling zealot. As the former governor of Massachusetts, he was an avid proponent of the eventual legalization of sports betting there.
It’s increasingly difficult to muster an opposing argument.
Inside Baseball
From Dave Bontempo
From now through October, gamblers peruse betting choices like a daily crossword puzzle. Find the edge and bet it. No edge, no bet. Rising prop options accent the excitement.
What a time to be playing. An entire world is sitting beyond the realm of moneyline, run lines, and Over/Unders.
Here’s an early-season look at navigating MLB choices and finding the sweet betting spot.
New Diggs
#FLEECED was trending on X by noon on Wednesday. The reason: the Bills recouped just a 2025 second-round pick for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a 2024 sixth and a 2025 fifth.
Bills Mafia was not happy about the return. Is Buffalo retrenching?
Houston certainly isn’t, having this offseason traded for running back Joe Mixon and signing free agent pass-rushing dynamo Danielle Hunter.
Diggs now zigs and zags for 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud and a Texans roster that just surprised with a 10-7 season and wild card playoff berth.
Most sportsbooks had the Texans pegged at around -110 for 9.5 wins before the trade, and those numbers were approaching the -140 range by Thursday. The Texans had also become a consensus +120 pick to win the AFC South. The Bills, meanwhile, remained at +160 to win the AFC East.
Props from Fanatics Sportsbook
Super Bowl: Houston moved from +2000 to +1500
Super Bowl: Bills from +1200 to +1300
NFL MVP: Stroud from +1300 to +1000
NFL MVP: Bill quarterback Josh Allen stayed at +800
Circa Hits Kentucky
The ultra-popular Old Vegas sportsbook launched in Kentucky on Monday, marking its fifth state where it offers mobile sports betting.
Let us know, Kentuckians, how you like the app.
CEO Derek Stevens remains the force and the face behind Circa. Check out this podcast for background on the Michigan native turned Vegas vanguard.
Odds ….
Stanley Cup Update - 9 teams share similar odds with no clear-cut favorite
… and enders
North Carolinians Spent Nearly $200 Million at Sports Betting Launch
New York (Which Used to Have Good College Basketball) Still Likes Betting On It
Sports betting legislation failed for this year in Georgia. Think of all the money Georgia bettors saved on Braves World Series futures.
Mississippi sports betting may extend beyond the parking lot of Gulf Coast casinos
Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem. 21+: All content herein is intended for audiences 21+.
By BRANT JAMES, Gaming Today Senior Writer
Been pushing hard to get Circa here in Ohio... Getting closer with their arrival in Kentucky... Fingers crossed Derek doesn't show his Michigan blood and hatred for the O-H, lol...