NCAA Championship Game Betting: Props
Written April 6, 2009 by Steve Janus
We finally have our Men’s NCAA Championship game set with the Michigan State Spartans playing the North Carolina Tar Heels. It’s safe to say that everyone expected UNC to be in this position, but few, if any that thought the Spartans had a legitimate shot at the title. The opening line for the game had North Carolina as 6.5 point favorites, but the updated college basketball odds for tonight show the Tar Heels as 7.5 point favorites over Michigan State with a total set at 152.5 points. Now I want to take a look at some of the non-traditional ways to bet the championship game by providing tonight’s proposition bets (props).
I will start with some of the more traditional props provided over at Sportsbook.com. This first set of bets involve the team to score a certain amount of points first. As for who will score the first points of the game, North Carolina is a slight favorite at -130, with the Spartans coming in at Even money. Once we start getting a little deeper into the game the Tar Heels begin to pull away pretty fast. The odds for the first team to score 10 points has North Carolina -155 and Michigan State +125. The odds shoot up to North Carolina -190 and Michigan State +150 for the first team to 20 points.
Another interesting prop is one where you try to predict the Over/Under for points or rebounds (or both) for individual players. Here are some of my favorites: Kalin Lucas (Michigan State) Over 14.5 points – This is as big as it gets for the Spartans and they need their leader to come out shooting. Lucas has upped his play throughout the tournament and I believe he will shine. Goran Suton (Michigan State) Total Points + Rebounds Over 19.5. – I would be surprised if Suton didn’t have at least 10 rebounds and 10 points in this game, but he has the ability to have a 20 point 15 rebound night. Ty Lawson (North Carolina) Under 18.5 points – Lawson is an incredible talent, but the Tar Heels have plenty of weapons and do not necessarily need Lawson to have a huge game. Michigan State’s defense should help keep him under this point total. Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina) Total Points + Rebounds Under 29.5. Hansbrough has some of the best all-time numbers for any college player, but I don’t think he’s going to crack 30 for his points + rebounds. Suton has been a better rebounder in this tournament and I think he will limit Hansbrough’s boards tonight.
Those are just a few of the many prop bets you can place on tonight’s game. Head over to Sportsbook.com to see some of the other interesting bets they have posted for the game.
Looking for college basketball picks for tonight’s Championship Game? Betfirms has you covered. Our experts want you to win when you bet on NCAA basketball so be sure to see what our leading handicappers have going tonight.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 Final Four Predictions: Who Makes the Championship Game?
- Michigan State vs North Carolina: NCAA Championship Preview & Predictions
- Michigan State Spartans NCAA Championship Odds
- Odds to Win the NCAA Champsionship: Final Four Edition
- 2009 Final Four Betting Props
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