Bookmakers’ confidence in the UConn Huskies is about as high as it can get heading into the Final Four.
Two wins away from a second straight national championship, Dan Hurley’s club joined rare territory as a -190 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to cut down the nets on April 8.
Only the 2021 Gonzaga Bulldogs, who were -200 pre-Final Four before losing to the Baylor Bears in the national championship game, had better odds than the Huskies at this point in the tournament since 2000, according to Sports Odds History.
Just seven teams since 1984 have had odds better than -190, per SOH.
UConn opened as a +425 favorite to win the tournament when the bracket was released in mid-March, and they haven’t disappointed.
The reigning champs have dominated through four games, winning each contest by at least 17 points, including a 25-point win over No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight.
The Huskies are currently a whopping 12-point favorite (DraftKings Sportsbook) over the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide.
If UConn closes at that number, it would tie as the third-biggest favorite in the last 50 years of the Final Four, according to Action Network.
This season’s dominant run follows one of the more unlikely national championship titles in recent college basketball history.
UConn, which came into the 2023 tournament at +1800 to win it all, became the eighth-biggest long shot to take home the national championship since 1975.
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The Huskies are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back national titles since the Florida Gators won it in 2006-07 and just the third team in the last five decades.
The Purdue Boilermakers, who are +210 to win the title, are seen by BetMGM oddsmakers as the Huskies’ biggest competition, followed by long shots in the NC State Wolfpack (+1600) and Alabama (+1800).
