NCAA Tournament Odds: These Final Four Sleepers Are Worth Look

We are about 48 hours away from the first full day of the NCAA Tournament. I’m too ready to inject three weekends of college buckets straight into my veins.  

Odds are good that you’ve already filled out your bracket, but did you find your betting sleepers to make the Final Four?

If you haven’t, that’s OK. I’ve got you covered.

Upsets are a staple of the NCAA Tournament and there’s usually one team every year that makes an unexpected run to the final weekend. Here are four teams with pretty juicy odds that could bust brackets:

West Region – Kansas +1400 (FanDuel)

Gonzaga’s price to win the region has created a trickle-down effect on everybody else. The Zags are -210 to advance to the Final Four, which implies almost a 70 percent chance of probability. This makes the odds on everybody else substantially higher.

Kansas finished the season on a 9-1 run and their defense really tightened up down the stretch. Remember, KU held then-undefeated Baylor to 43 percent shooting from two and 23 percent from three. The Jayhawks dominated the glass and the paint in that signature win in late February.

If KU defends the way it’s capable of, gets timely scoring from lead guard Marcus Garrett and manages to avoid any more COVID issues, Bill Self’s team has the blueprint to make things interesting against Gonzaga.

2021 NCAA Tournament Preview: Odds, Picks, Sleepers For Each Region

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East Region – Alabama +400 (BetMGM)

The bottom of the East region is a damn free-for-all. I could realistically make a case for four different teams to advance to the Elite Eight.

I’ll roll with Alabama because the Tide boast the best defense in the entire region. Clearly, I value getting stops a whole lot in March. Also, Nate Oats’ stretch offense has the ammo to pull those Texas bigs away from the rim in a potential Sweet 16 game.

Oates and company aren’t satisfied with an SEC conference tournament title; Alabama is focused enough on the bigger task at hand.

South Region – Purdue +1200 (DraftKings)

Purdue rates very high in a lot of the metrics and advanced analytics. I’m well aware that games aren’t won on calculators, but there’s something to be said about a team that is Top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

The Boilermakers are an extremely physical basketball team and if you haven’t met 6-foot-10, 270-pound center Trevion Williams yet, you’re in for a treat. Williams is a walking double-double who could really cause problems against Baylor’s four-guard system.

If Purdue actually knocks off Baylor in the Sweet 16, you would be free-rolling into the Elite Eight with a 12-to-1 ticket in your back pocket. It would be impossible to lose money at that point thanks to hedging possibilities.

Midwest Region – Syracuse +4200 (FanDuel)

We’re going deep on this one thanks to Jim Boeheim’s coveted 2-3 zone. Teams know it’s coming and still struggle to solve it.

The Orange punched a ticket to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 2016 and they were a shot or two away from upsetting Duke in the 2018 Sweet 16. They know what it takes to win in the NCAA Tournament.

When that lengthy zone is clicking and those long wingspans rotate accordingly, Cuse is a tough out. They take away drives to the rim and dare you beat them from the outside. Many mice over the years have met their fate going for the cheese.