Final Four Props – How Much Madness is Left?

Propositional wagers are a huge deal when it comes to the Super Bowl. Everything from the coin toss to the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach has become fair game for oddsmakers and bettors, alike.

The trend of betting on all aspects of major events has been slow to transcend the Super Bowl, but we definitely need some props on this weekend’s Final Four. After all, the Super Bowl is only one evening … this is an entire weekend.

We’ll try to keep it basketball related. Well, at the beginning anyway.

2016 Final Four Props:

Odds on which coach will receive the first technical foul:

Jim Boeheim: 3/2
Jay Wright: 3/1
Lon Kruger: 4/1
Roy Williams: 17/3

Wright and Kruger have the advantage of playing first but Boeheim’s temper keeps him as a slight favorite.

Odds at least one player or coach is ejected from a game: 11/1

It’s relatively unlikely that someone loses their cool enough to generate a double tech from a hesitant referee. As long as Larry Eustachy isn’t here anyway.

Odds to win Most Outstanding Player:

Brice Johnson (North Carolina): 5/1
Buddy Hield (Oklahoma): 6/1
Josh Hart (Villanova): 10/1
Marcus Paige (North Carolina): 11/1
Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova): 13/1
Kris Jenkins (Villanova): 15/1
Michael Gbinije (Syracuse): 24/1
Malachi Richardson (Syracuse): 33/1
FIELD: 7/3

The best player on the team most likely to win it all (Johnson) is a slight favorite over the best player in the tournament (Hield). Villanova is the only school with three candidates listed which is a sign of its great balance.

Odds of blocking more shots in the UNC/Syracuse game:

Tyler Lydon (Syracuse): 9/11
Brice Johnson (North Carolina): 3/2
No blocks for either player: 20/1

Lydon is a superior shot blocker and UNC will likely attempt more shots than SU near the goal.

Odds of scoring more points in the Villanova/Syracuse game:

Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart (combined): 9/11
Buddy Hield: 11/9

If Hield starts burying shots from deep, you’d think Nova will force someone else to beat them. Jenkins and Hart should be good for at least 25.

Odds North Carolina wins both semi-final and final by double-digits: 7/1

The Heels are a 9.5-point favorite over Syracuse, which makes it nearly 1/1 to win by ten-plus on Saturday.  The point-spread will be much tighter on Monday night.

Odds at least one team comes back from a double-digit deficit to win a game: 7/2

Folks in Charlottesville and Cedar Falls don’t find this prop amusing. It’s unlikely, but perhaps that’s what we should expect as a conclusion to this year’s crazy tourney.

Odds of which famous alumnus/alumna will trend the most on social media during the 2016 Final Four:

Joe Biden (Syracuse): 7/2
Michael Jordan (North Carolina): 4/1
Bradley Cooper (Villanova): 10/1
Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma): 15/1
Brooklyn Decker (North Carolina): 18/1
Toby Keith: (Villanova): 20/1
Olivia Munn (Oklahoma): 20/1
Ken Jeong (North Carolina): 25/1
Jerry Stiller (Syracuse): 25/1
None of the above trend during the Final Four: 3/1

The Veep is the favorite because he’s the mostly likely to trend for reasons not involving basketball. These odds are subject to change dramatically if any of the above are seen in the greater Houston area this weekend.

Odds Kenny Smith predicts all three Final Four games correctly. (He went 4/4 last weekend.): 4/1

We know the former Tar Heel point guard is picking UNC to win twice. The only question is which way he’s leaning in Nova/OU.

Odds for which catch-phrase  Bill Raftery will use first after the championship game opening game.

Nickel-dimer: 3/2
The kiss: 3/1
Onions: 6/1
Send it in: 8/1
Laundry on the deck: 10/1

You can thank the NCAA rules committee and “freedom of movement” calls for the favorite here. Remember, Syracuse will not open up “man to man.”

Over/under on the number of air balls shot during the Final Four: 7.5

NRG Stadium is notoriously tough on shooters, therefore long bombers may have a tough time drawing iron or anything else. This number does not include last-second heaves from beyond half court.

Odds on the first shot of the championship game being an air-ball: 30/1

Nerves make this more likely but focus on getting a good shot out of the gate keep these odds long.

Over/under on combined margin of victory for the UConn Huskies women’s team in their two Final Four games: 58.5

UConn beat Mississippi State by 60 in the Sweet 16, so it has the potential to fly over this number.

Odds the UConn women’s margin of victory over Oregon State is greater than Buddy Hield’s point total versus Villanova:

UConn women’s win margin: 5/6
Buddy Hield point total: 6/5

This is a close one. Oklahoma will need major contributions from other guys and Buddy faces the tough shooting background. UConn is only favored by 21.5 but has shown the ability to fly over the number while covering.

Odds of One Shining Moment montage having the most shots of:

People crying: 3/1
Cheering fans: 4/1
Dunks: 5/1
Hugs: 5/1
Buzzer Beaters: 10/1
Cheerleaders: 12/1
Celebrity fans: 15/1

Crying hugs clearly count in both categories.

Odds the following clips are featured in the One Shining Moment Video:

Ecstatic uncle of player: 1/50
Dancing or dabbing coach: 1/8
Crying band member 1/7
Crying cheerleader: 1/5
Crying parent of player: 1/1
Bill Murray: 3/1
More than three celebrity fans: 5/1

Opening tip for the 2016/17 season is only six months away folks!

(Photo credit: Max Goldberg (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode]. Photo has been cropped.)