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March Madness betting: UConn can join champions that went 6-0 vs. spread

frank schwab
NFL writer
·3 min read
4

For those who don't bet, there's little difference between most NCAA championship teams. The one that cuts the nets and headlines "One Shining Moment" is immortal.

For bettors, there is a different tier of champion.

What UConn is trying to pull off Monday is fairly rare in the betting world. The Huskies have covered the spread in all five games on their way to the championship game. They're 7.5-point favorites at BetMGM to beat San Diego State on Monday night.

A win and a cover would put them in a special tier that bettors will fondly remember forever.

The 6 perfect ATS champs

This century, only six teams have run the gauntlet of the NCAA tournament (and oddsmakers) to finish undefeated against the spread on their way to a championship.

UConn, which has won every game this tournament by double digits, has easily covered the spread in all five games before the championship. While an ATS record isn't the best or only measure of a team's dominance, the 6-0 ATS champions circle is a pretty good list of the best championship teams since 2000 (aside from 2014 UConn, which is the biggest historical outlier on just about any champions list):

2018 Villanova

2016 Villanova

2015 Duke

2014 UConn

2009 North Carolina

2006 Florida

That's the entire 6-0 ATS champions list. Last season Kansas had a great run to the championship, but was just 3-3 against the spread. The Jayhawks won but didn't cover in the second round against Creighton, Sweet 16 against Providence and title game against North Carolina.

The banner still went up and the rings still fit on fingers. But bettors weren't so excited for the 2022 Jayhawks.

Donovan Clingan of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates after defeating Miami in a Final Four game. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

UConn has a tough test

Beating San Diego State isn't a given for UConn, though bettors rushed to take the Huskies when they opened as a 6-point favorite. The line quickly moved to 7.5.

That number won't be easy to cover, but every other UConn game has been an easy cover for the favorite. Miami, which lost by 13 points as a 5.5-point underdog on Saturday, is the first team this tournament to come within 10 points of the spread against UConn. That's impressive.

San Diego State was on track to be eligible for the 6-0 ATS champions group. The Aztecs covered their first four games. In Saturday's national semifinal they beat Florida Atlantic but only by one point after being favored between 1.5 and 3 points, depending on when bettors took SDSU. That shows how hard it is to win a title while also covering the spread in every game.

There are only six champions this century to be perfect against the spread. UConn can make it seven on Monday night.