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March Madness is here. And it’s called madness for a reason because you never know what will happen in the coming weeks.
Below, we look at 4 teams with decent value and their NCAA Tournament Final Four futures odds from Tipico Sportsbook and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
Futures bets are a fun way to make small plays and hope one of them can pay off big. The fun is not always to take the favorites, but to find that Cinderella team and follow along with them.
While a long shot usually doesn’t win, what if, for once, it did. Here are 4 teams seeded 5 or lower who could win the National Championship. But remember, these are not likely to hit, so just put a taste on them and do not overextend yourself.
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Final Four long-shot predictions
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines for team to make Final Four last updated Tuesday at 7:31 a.m. ET.
Duke Blue Devils (+750)
- Bet $100 to win $750
No one is hotter entering the tourney than 5-seed Duke (26-8), which beat Virginia to win the ACC Tournament title on Sunday for its 9th straight victory.
Duke has a tough opening game against Oral Roberts (30-4). The Golden Eagles finished the Summit league season 18-0 and were the only team in Division I with an undefeated conference record. Its offense ranks 3rdin the nation at 84.1 points per game. Of course the members of the Summit League do not have the athletic talents of Duke.
The East region is loaded with great coaches and some good teams that Duke would need to beat out. First-year coach Jon Scheyer has his team ready. If Duke can continue to make its shots, something it finally started to do late in the season, the Blue Devils could be in for a Final Four run.
Arkansas Razorbacks (+1500)
- Bet $100 to win $1500
Arkansas (20-13) somehow have a higher seed in the NCAA tournament than it did in its own conference tournament.
After starting the year ranked in the top 10, the 8th-seeded Razorbacks struggled after the loss of Nick Smith to injury. This midseason falter left Arkansas in a hole it could not climb out of when Smith returned. Coach Eric Musselman has a team which can knock down shots. But it can also go into long dry spells which makes it a dangerous proposition to bet on them to move on.
If Arkansas is able to defeat Illinois in Rround 1, Kansas likely awaits followed by a potential Sweet 16 meeting with St. Mary’s or UConn. This is an extremely difficult path to the Final Four, but Arkansas has the talent to make it to Houston.
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Iowa Hawkeyes (+2000)
- Bet $100 to win $2000
Another 8 seed I like for a run is Iowa (19-13), which opens against Auburn in the 1st round. Despite only 19 wins, Iowa has been battle tested in the Big Ten. If it gets past Auburn, it will not be afraid to bang with Houston in the paint. If Houston G Marcus Sasser is unable to be back, or not fully healthy, Iowa can take control of the game and defeat the Cougars.
All the teams in the Midwest have warts. Iowa can hit the shots needed to go far into this tournament. And despite 1-seed Houston standing in the way, I can see the Hawkeyes getting by the Cougars and getting to Houston for the Final Four.
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College of Charleston Cougars (+8000)
- Bet $100 to win $8000
I picked College of Charleston (31-3) over the Utah State Aggies (26-8) because I like the Cougars’ matchup with San Diego State in the 1st round better than the Aggies’ matchup with Missouri.
Charleston will run up and down the floor and hyper speed against an Aztecs team which does not want anything to do with that style of play. San Diego State could easily get worn down and the Cougars could pull away in the 2nd half of the game.
Charleston, which average 80.8 points per game (18th in the nation) can run and shoot like few others in the tournament. If it gets hot, it can beat anyone. Including Alabama in a potenial Sweet 16 showdown with Alabama. Is it likely? That’s whythey call is a long shot.
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