Following an unprecedented one-year absence because of the pandemic, college basketball’s flagship event is back as the 2021 NCAA Tournament Final Four takes place Saturday on CBS at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. As is customary, the event carries myriad storylines. Will Gonzaga (30-0) become the first undefeated champion since Indiana accomplished the feat in 1976? Will Baylor (26-2) make the most of its First Final Four in 74 years? Can the Houston Cougars (28-3) restore their past greatness that saw them reach back-to-back title games in 1983-’84? Or will No. 11-seeded UCLA (22-9) become the all-time Cinderella story by winning the title as a double-digit seed?
The Bears are five-point favorites and the over-under for total points scored is 134.5 in the latest Baylor vs. Houston odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Gonzaga, meanwhile, is a 14-point favorite and the over-under is 145.5 in the latest 2021 NCAA Tournament Final Four odds. Before locking in any 2021 Final Four picks, make sure you see the March Madness college basketball predictions from SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach. This season, Hartstein has emerged as SportsLine’s top overall college basketball analyst, posting a record of 216-165 heading into the Final Four for a massive profit of more than $3,400 on his college basketball picks.
In the Elite Eight, Hartstein told SportsLine members to back Baylor (-8) over surging third-seeded Arkansas. He predicted the Bears would break out of a shooting funk that led to a close call against Villanova and was proven correct as they connected on 8-of-15 from 3-point range to create distance and cover the number in its 81-72 victory. Anyone who has followed Hartstein is way up.
Now, Hartstein has locked in four confident best bets for Saturday’s Final Four of the NCAA Tournament 2021. If you parlay his picks, you could be looking at a payout of around 12-1. You can see them only at SportsLine.
Top 2021 NCAA Tournament Final Four expert picks
One of Hartstein’s top 2021 Final Four picks is backing the under 134.5 points for the Baylor vs. Houston contest at 5:14 p.m. ET. Although both clubs prefer to go up-tempo and are capable of filling up the basket, they both have relied on their air-tight defense to support their breakout seasons and reach the Final Four.
The Cougars have the nation’s second-ranked scoring defense at 57.6 points per game and hasn’t allowed more than 61 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Baylor clamped down to limit Villanova to 21 second-half points in its 62-51 win over Villanova in the Sweet 16.
How to make 2021 NCAA Tournament Final Four parlays
Hartstein has also identified a critical X-factor in both matchups that has him all over those spreads. You can see his best bets only at SportsLine.
So which NCAA Tournament picks should you make on Saturday for a shot at a 12-1 return? And which critical X-factors do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to see Larry Hartstein’s Final Four picks, all from the handicapper on a massive college basketball picks run, and find out.
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