Betting: Is Baylor to win the title the best odds in the Final Four?
Frank Schwab looks ahead at the initial Final Four odds for the Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston and UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.
Video Transcript
FRANK SCHWAB: This is Frank Schwab with Yahoo Sports, and it's time to look forward to the Final Four, looking at the odds of the four teams, including one overwhelming favorite. Let's start with UCLA. They're the odd ball in this Final Four, the 11 seed when we have nothing but ones and twos in there, and their odds reflect that. They're an amazing 25 to 1 to win the national title even though they're in the Final Four, and we all know the reason why. Great story for UCLA going from First Four to Final Four, but their run is probably gonna be ending on Saturday.
Going to the other game on Saturday, we have Houston leading off at plus-600. They'll be the underdog in that game against Baylor, but Houston is a quality team. Plus-600 is not a bad number for them. They do everything right. They're well-coached, good on offense, good on defense. They don't get quite the respect they deserve because the conference they play in, but this is a very capable team.
Then we get to the two behemoths, and one of them is Baylor at plus-300. I have to admit, I love these odds. Look, back in mid-February, we thought Baylor and Gonzaga were basically equals. They were both undefeated. Baylor lost a couple times. They had a COVID shutdown. They didn't quite play as well as they should have for a while, but they've played really well in the tournament.
Yes, they've had some close calls, unlike Gonzaga. But if you're giving me plus-300 on Baylor, I will take that. I've seen some great basketball teams lose in the tournament, 1991 UNLV, 1999 Duke, 2015 Kentucky. There's no reason to believe the Baylor Bears can't beat Gonzaga, but there's a reason Gonzaga is the big favorite here.
They've blown through the first four rounds of the tournament, covering every time. They've been the biggest favorite in every round, and it hasn't bothered them or bettors who keep loading up on Gonzaga. They're an amazing minus-200 to win the tournament now. They're one of the best stories in sports. Undefeated team. Gonzaga is a huge favorite, but I still think Baylor has a chance to win this thing.