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March Madness 2019: Bracket Predictions, Odds Tips for Final Four Schedule
April 6, 2019
March Madness has provided some excitement and great games over the past two rounds. After a slow start and not many early upsets in the NCAA tournament, there were some thrilling matchups last weekend.
That should be the case again Saturday, when the Final Four unfolds with a pair of national semifinal matchups. The winners will advance to Monday night's national championship game.
The Final Four is taking place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, where the teams arrived on Thursday to continue practicing for the semifinal matchups.
Bracket
Final Four Schedule, Odds (All Times ET)
Saturday
No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 1 Virginia (-5.5), 6:09 p.m., CBS
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 2 Michigan State (-2.5), 8:49 p.m., CBS
Monday
National championship game, 9 p.m., CBS
Final Four Predictions, Betting Tips
Auburn over Virginia
After making a surprise run to the first Final Four in team history, Auburn is in good position to potentially score another upset to advance to the national championship game.
As a 5.5-point underdog, it seems like a good choice to bet on the Tigers, who should play a close game against Virginia, at the least. However, it also wouldn't be surprising to see Auburn knock off the Cavaliers.
The Tigers are coming off three straight wins over the three programs with the most wins in men's college basketball history—No. 4 seed Kansas, No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 2 seed Kentucky. Now, they're one victory away from playing in the final game of the college basketball season.
"We all want to win a National Championship. That's the goal," Auburn senior guard Bryce Brown told the media Friday. "But I definitely feel like you have to take it one game at a time because Virginia is favored in a lot of their games, and we want to be a part of making history."
It will be a challenge for Auburn, and it could be a low-scoring game considering the slow pace that Virginia plays at. However, the Tigers will make some key 3-pointers down the stretch to notch the upset win.
Michigan State over Texas Tech
With only a 2.5-point line and two teams that enter this matchup with a lot of momentum, it's a tough call to choose which school to bet on in this game. However, the Spartans are the pick here.
This could be a close game, but expect Michigan State to pull far enough away late that it's better to bet on the Spartans than Texas Tech with 2.5 points.
Michigan State is playing its best basketball of the season after it upset No. 1 overall seed Duke in the Elite Eight. After some earlier struggles, including a stretch of three straight losses between Jan. 27-Feb. 5, the Spartans have won nine games in a row, which included capturing the Big Ten tournament championship.
"It's been a process to get here. It's been a tough road," Michigan State senior guard Matt McQuaid told the media Friday. "We're just taking it all in right now and just enjoying it, but at the same time, our main focus is on Texas Tech, and we're just focusing on the little things and just doing what we do."
These two teams play a similar style, so this game should stay close early. However, junior guard Cassius Winston will continue his exceptional play and push the Spartans to a win and a berth in the national championship game.