March Madness 2023: Great Value for These Teams to Make the Final Four

Final Four Predictions

We're just two weeks away from conference tournaments starting and are less than a month away from Selection Sunday. That means it's time to start placing future bets on March Madness. If you're looking for the most value, wagering on the NCAA tournament winner will likely give you the biggest payout, but betting on teams to make the Final Four also provides plenty of value with a little less risk. Let's take a look at four teams that I think will make it to the tournament's final weekend.

Alabama +180, DraftKings

Alabama has been one of my favorite teams to watch and bet on this season. Between Brandon Miller, who I think should win Freshman of the Year, to upperclassmen Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears, the Tide have a roster complete with all the pieces you need to make a deep run in March. They have the size down low and a backcourt full of dynamic guards. Thanks to a 22-4 record this season, Bama should be looking at a No. 1 seed. Since Nate Oats took over in 2019, Alabama has made two tournament appearances. It was the No. 2 seed in 2021 and made it to the Elite Eight before losing to UCLA in overtime. Last season, Oats' team earned the No. 6 seed but was knocked out in the first round. Now, with Oats and his players having recent tournament experiences, the Tide not only have the talent, but they also have the intangibles needed to make it to the Final Four.

Marquette +850, FanDuel

Despite being 21-6 and leading the Big East, it still feels like the Golden Eagles are a bit undervalued. Marquette has only made three Final Four appearances, but this year's roster is good enough to earn a No. 3 or 4 seed, which would give it a great position within the field. The Golden Eagles have the fifth-best offense in the country, according to KenPom, and have players that can get them a bucket when needed. As much as basketball is a team sport, it's important come tournament time that you have guard play that you can rely on to deliver a basket in crunch time. They've also proven that they can win close games and can rely on their defense to get stops at crucial moments. Not to mention, Shaka Smart is Marquette's head coach. For those of you that don't remember, Smart is well known for leading VCU to its first Final Four appearance in school history during the 2011 tournament.

Baylor +450, DraftKings

Speaking of coaches who have led teams to Final Fours, Scott Drew guided Baylor to its first national championship in 2021. The Bears are 18-9 in the tournament since Drew took over in 2003. This team reminds me a lot of that 2021 team because of the depth it has at the guard position. Between Keyonte George, LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler, the Bears have one of the best backcourts in the country. Those three also make up a trio of players that can put up huge numbers on any given night. That's so important in the one-and-done nature of the tournament. If one player doesn't have it on a given night, another player has shown the ability to step up. Add in Flo Thamba and Jalen Bridges as starters in the front court, and a healthy Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua off the bench, and this is one dangerous team.

Miami +1500, PointsBet

Call me crazy for taking such a long shot, but we saw UCLA make it to the Final Four as an 11 seed in 2021 and North Carolina make it to the national championship last season as a No. 8 seed. The Hurricanes have been streaking lately, winning five straight games thanks to stellar guard play. (Surprise, surprise, I like another guard-heavy team to make a deep run!) This is one of the best offensive teams you're going to find in terms of being able to score efficiently, grab offensive boards and take care of the basketball. Its defense is a step behind its offense, but not by much. Miami is great at limiting opponents' trips to the free-throw line and is great at defending the 3. Those two aspects are important in limiting its opponents' ability to tack on extra points. Plus, with Miami's ability to knock down 3s itself, the Hurricanes often create a math problem for the opposing team.