Duke heads into Final Four as betting favorites

Duke heads to a Final Four made up of all No. 1 seeds as the favorite to win the national championship.

The Blue Devils were +105 to win the title at ESPN BET after the Final Four was set on Sunday. Florida is the second favorite at +275, followed by Houston (+450) and Auburn (+500). Duke opened as a 4.5-point favorite over Houston in their semifinal matchup Saturday in San Antonio. The Gators opened as 2.5-point favorites over Auburn in the other semifinal.

The Blue Devils began the tournament as the favorites and have yet to be challenged, winning four games by an average margin of 23.5 points. They attracted more bets and more money to win the national championship than any other school during the regular season at multiple sportsbooks and remain a liability for most shops.

“Duke was our most-bet team coming into the tournament by a good margin, and patrons have continued to back them at a high rate given their performances,” Adrian Horton, director of North American sports trading at ESPN BET, said. “In terms of liability, it’s Duke all the way.”

Patrick Berbert, who oversees college basketball odds for Caesars Sportsbook, said his shop was in a similar spot entering the final week of the tournament.

“At this juncture, we are strong supporters of anyone capable of achieving the upset against this formidable Duke team,” Berbert said. “We are in great standing with all the other teams remaining.”

Overall, the tournament has featured the fewest upsets in decades. With three games remaining, betting favorites are 51-13 straight-up, tying the 2007 tournament for the best record for favorites since the field expanded in 1985.