March Madness is nearing its end as the field of 68 teams has been cut down to the Final Four with the teams set to square off on Saturday. It is a unique field this year with no teams above a No. 4 seed remaining and only one school having an NCAA championship.
Even so, the tournament has had all the memorable upsets and moments that most expect and still seems destined for a conclusion to do it justice. This year's tournament has been more wide-open than ever, and each of the four remaining teams will look to capitalize.
Who will win March Madness?
The favorite to cut down the nets and etch their name on the trophy is the UConn Huskies, who are the only program to have won an NCAA Tournament. They will face No. 5 seed Miami in the second matchup on Saturday after producing a convincing 82-54 victory over Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. UConn is considered a 5.5-point favorite.
UConn (29-8), a No. 4 seed, has a balanced team that checks all the boxes for what you look for in a championship-quality team. They are led by big man Adama Sanogo, who has averaged 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins, a 6-foot-5 guard, is also a nice offensive counterpart and can be counted on for 16.3 ppg.
The Huskies are regarded as minus-125 favorites to win the tournament on most sportsbooks.
However, Miami (29-7) is not a team that should be overlooked as it is led by the impressive guard trio of Isaiah Wing, Jordan Miller and Nijel Pack, who combine for 45.4 ppg. It most recently took down No. 2 seed Texas 88-81 in a hard-fought comeback victory. It is regarded as having roughly plus-475 odds to win it all, which is third among the remaining teams.
On the other side of the bracket, San Diego State (31-6) has the second-best odds of winning it all at roughly plus-375. The Aztecs play a hard-nosed style and defensively-oriented approach which has held their opponents to 64 or fewer points in each of the tournament matchups. Senior Matt Bradley leads the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg with no other player averaging double figures.
They will face off against 9-seeded Florida Atlantic which is the biggest longshot to win it all. It has roughly plus-625 odds to win the title after taking down Kansas State in the Elite Eight. The Owls have taken down Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson and Tennessee as well during this tournament run. San Diego State is considered a two-point favorite in this matchup.
Expectations are growing and preparations are being made for each team ahead of Saturday's showdowns. If anything can be taken from the tournament so far, it is that anything can happen in a one-game format, and the same applies at the Final Four.
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