The road to the national title ends Monday (8:50 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV) in Indianapolis as No. 1 Michigan squares off against No. 2 UConn at Lucas Oil Stadium for the men’s NCAA championship.
Here are our best March Madness bets ahead of tipoff.
UConn vs Michigan Odds
All college basketball odds used for these UConn vs Michigan National Championship best bets are current as of Monday, April 6, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
UConn vs Michigan Prediction
UConn vs Michigan Score Prediction: Michigan 79, UConn 74
History will be at stake when Michigan and UConn meet Monday for the national championship.
UConn (34-5) is eyeing a third NCAA title in four seasons, a feat last accomplished by John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty in the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, Michigan (36-3) is seeking to end the Big Ten Conference’s 26-year title drought.
Dan Hurley’s Huskies are an astonishing 18-1 against the spread over the last four NCAA Tournaments. This includes a 71-62 victory over No. 3 Illinois in the Final Four after the Huskies closed as 1.5-point underdogs. But nobody in this tournament has been more dominant than Dusty May’s Wolverines, whose average margin of victory is 21.6 points after walloping No. 1 Arizona 91-73.
It feels sacrilegious to bet against UConn this time of year, as the Huskies are now 13-1 in Final Four games, but Michigan is on a mission.
UConn vs Michigan Best Bets
UConn +6.5 (-105) vs Michigan
Top-seeded Michigan opened as a 7.5-point favorite over UConn at DraftKings, showing just how dominant the Wolverines have been in this tournament. The Wolverines’ 18-point win over Arizona, for example, tied for the largest in a March Madness game between No. 1 seeds since 1979.
Look for them to get pushed more by UConn, especially with Yaxel Lendeborg hurting. The Big Ten Player of the Year, who’s averaging 19 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the tournament, is dealing with a sprained MCL and a tweaked ankle. He plans to play on Monday, although likely not at 100%.
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While the spread is a bit too large — UConn is 11-0 ATS in the Sweet 16 or later under Hurley — Michigan has been my pick since the start of the tournament. I can’t go against the Wolverines now.
Back Michigan to win but UConn to cover as your best college basketball bets today.
UConn vs Michigan: Over 144.5 Points (-110)
Michigan, KenPom’s fourth-most efficient offense, has scored 90 points or more in all five tournament games. It’s gone over the total in four of those contests, with the exception of a 90-77 victory over No. 4 Alabama in the Sweet 16.
UConn’s ability to control the pace could keep the game close, making the total a risky bet. But the Wolverines’ combination of size and depth will be too much for the Huskies to handle, providing enough juice to clear the over.
