Alabama vs UConn Odds

The #1 UConn Huskies have opened as big favorites over the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Final Four
UConn has won each of its first four NCAA Tournament games by at least 17 points, and by an average of 27.8 PPG
See the opening Alabama vs UConn odds, including spread, total, and moneyline

The #1 UConn Huskies dominated another quality opponent on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston when they blew out #3 Illinois 77-52 thanks to a 30-0 run that spanned halftime.

UConn is now two wins away from becoming the first back-to-back national champion in 17 years (2007 Florida), and oddsmakers aren’t terribly bullish on the Huskies’ Final Four opponent.

In the Final Four for the first time in school history, the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide punched their ticket to the national semifinals with an 89-82 win over #6 Clemson. Alabama was a 4.5-point underdog in its Sweet 16 victory over West #1 North Carolina, but it is staring down a much bigger spread against UConn in the Final Four.

Team	Spread	Moneyline	Total
Alabama Crimson Tide	+11.5 (-110)	TBD	TBD
UConn Huskies	-11.5 (-110)	TBD	TBD

Dan Hurley’s Huskies have opened as 10.5-POINT favorites over Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide. The moneyline and game total are still TBD.

Odds as of March 30. Lock in the Fanatics Sportsbook promo to wager on the 2024 Final Four.

UConn Dominantes Excellent Illinois Team

An explosive, athletic Illini team looked like it might have the horses to keep up with tournament-favorite UConn early in the teams’ Elite Eight matchup on Saturday night. But after the Illini tied the game at 23-23 with just over a minute left in the first half, the Huskies went on a ludicrous 30-0 run that spanned halftime.

That included scoring the first 25 points of the second stanza. Seven-foot-two sophomore center Donovan Clingan dominated with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting plus 10 rebounds, five blocks, and and three steals.

Four other Huskies finished in double-figures, but it was UConn’s stifling defense that was the true star. Illinois’ offense, which ranks second in efficiency and averages 84.2 PPG, was held to its lowest point total of the season while shooting just 25.4% from the field.

Terrence Shannon Jr, the third-leading scorer in all of DI (23.5 PPG), was held to just eight points on 2-of-12 shooting.

The win raised UConn’s overall efficiency rating at KenPom to +35.10, which is nearly four higher than #2 Houston and nearly six higher than their rating at the end of last year’s national-championship run.

Odds to Win March Madness 2024: NCAA Men’s Tournament Futures Tracker

Alabama Holds Off Clemson

In a thrilling battle between two schools looking for their first ever Final Four berths, Alabama held of Clemson for a 89-82 win on Saturday night at crypto.com Arena.

Leading scorer Mark Sears was as-advertised with 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting (7-of-14 from beyond the arc). Freshman forward Jarin Stevenson had a massive 19 points off the bench on a night when some of Alabama’s starters weren’t at their offensive best. Senior forward Nick Pringle had a game-high 11 rebounds. The Tide finished just 46% from the field but won the rebounding battle by a massive 40 to 28 margin to more than make up for it.

The Tide reached the Elite Eight with an 89-87 victory over #1 UNC on Thursday night. Senior center Grant Nelson starred in that victory with a team-high 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Alabama now sits 13th overall in efficiency at KenPom and 14th at Haslametrics. KenPom has the Tide offense at #3 but their defense at 102nd.

Now 25-11 straight-up this season, the Tide improved their record against top-50 KenPom teams to 8-11 with Saturday’s win over Clemson, but they are just 2-6 against top-15 squads.

Alabama and Purdue will meet at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday, April 6. Tip-off time is still TBD.