Final Four Odds and Betting
The excitement of NCAA postseason basketball intensifies when bookmakers and sports betting platforms like DraftKings post NCAA final four betting lines. Both rookie and experienced bettors feel the exhilaration of putting down stakes and potentially winning money and bragging rights with each win.
Types of Final Four Bets
There are a number of different types of bets you can make on Final Four games. Whatever your preference, you're sure to find a betting format and bet type that suits you.
When you decide to place a wager, a betting sheet for college basketball odds on the NCAA Final Four will look very similar to this.
Team | Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under Totals |
Minnesota | +1.5 | +100 | 135.5 O |
Michigan | -1.5 | -120 | 135.5 U |
Spreads
The spread on an NCAA Final Four betting line refers to the number of points a team needs to win by for a bet to pay off. Each number in the spread format is indicated by a plus sign (for a positive spread) and a minus sign (for a negative spread). The favored team's spread will be the negative, and the underdog will be noted with the positive spread.
In the case of a -1.5 spread for Michigan, they will need to win by 2 or more points for the bet to pay. With a +1.5 spread for Minnesota, the bet pays if they lose by 1 point—or less. The +1.5 also pays out if Minnesota wins the game outright.
The decimal prevents ties. If you bet -2 and the team won by exactly 2 points, your bet would "push" and the full stake amount will be returned.
Moneylines
Moneyline odds are based on $100. Negative odds indicate stakes required to win $100. Positive odds indicate the winnings with a $100 bet. For example, a -120 payout for Michigan means that betting $120 pays $100 if Michigan wins. Odds of +110 for Minnesota indicates that a $100 bet on them pays out $110. Like with any other bet, winners also receive their initial stake back.
Over/Under totals
The over/under style of betting enables you to lay down a wager on whether the total points added between both teams at the end of the game will be higher or lower than the score posted in the Over/Under Total column. Payouts for over/under totals are usually posted at -110—paying $100 on a $110 bet.
Player props
In some states, Draftkings offers side bets on the performance of specific players for regular season games. These are called player prop bets. Among a variety of options, popular player props include points, rebounds, and assists per game. Check the DraftKings offering for player prop bets in your state.
Other prop bets might include such wagers as the total points each team will score in a game, or number of three-pointers made in the first half. Another popular prop bet is which team will score the first 10 points in the game.
Parlay bets
Parlays are an exciting style of betting that enables you to place multiple bets, also known as "legs"—across multiple games—on a single ticket. For example, you could place a wager for Minnesota to cover the spread in a game against Michigan and that the over/under will beat the total, while also betting on Rutgers to win a totally different game that day. DraftKings offers an awesome feature, called SGPx (Same Game Parlay Extra), which allows users to combine two or more legs from the same game—as well as additional legs from other games.
Every additional leg you put on a parlay ticket increases the potential winnings. However, in order for a parlay bet to pay out, you have to win every leg on the ticket.