March Madness Championship Props: Back UConn’s Sanogo on the Boards
Sanogo Current Favorite for Tournament MVP at +125
Even as the calendar flipped to April, March Madness delivered another iconic moment, with San Diego State’s Lamont Butler sinking a buzzer-beating shot to lift the Aztecs past NCAA Tournament Cinderella Florida Atlantic in Saturday’s first national semifinal. While the nightcap wasn’t nearly as dramatic, with Connecticut overwhelming Miami, we did see the Huskies take another step toward a long-awaited fifth national championship. With the stage now set for Monday’s title game between No. 4 seed UConn and No. 5 seed San Diego State in Houston (9:20 p.m., ET, CBS) we take a look at a few of our favorite March Madness championship props.
Adama Sanogo Over 7.5 Total Rebounds (-125)
Sanogo, the current favorite for Most Outstanding Player of the tournament at+125, has pulled down double-digit rebounds in back-to-back games and is averaging 7.6 boards on the season. The 6-foot-9 junior has hit this prop in eight of the last 10 games.
The Aztecs are decent on the glass, averaging 36.4 rebounds per game to rank 83rd nationally, but they may have trouble scoring against UConn’s length. Sanogo figures to get plenty of opportunities to cash in on this March Madness championship props.
Jordan Hawkins Over 2.5 Made 3-pointers (-110)
This was one of our favorite picks for the Final Four, and we’re going back to the well with Hawkins against San Diego State — at even better odds. Hawkins, the Huskies’ No. 2 scorer at 16.2 points per game, hit three 3-pointers and played 25 minutes after missing Friday’s practice due to a stomach illness.
Hawkins has hit this prop every game this tournament and is shooting 38.6% from 3-point range on the season. The Aztecs are tough defensively, holding opponents to the third-lowest 3-point rate in the country (28.2%), but with Hawkins averaging 7.6 attempts per game, this March Madness championship props remains fairly attainable.
Andre Jackson Under 0.5 Made 3-pointers (-105)
There is a lot Jackson does well, but he will never be mistaken for an offensive dynamo. Most of Jackson’s scoring comes in transition or from near the basket as he has the athleticism to finish around the rim. The 6-6 junior made only three 3-pointers over the first four rounds and didn’t even attempt one against Miami.
Darrion Trammell Over 9.5 Total Points (-125)
Trammell had only five points on 2-of-8 shooting in the national semifinal, but he hit double figures in the three games before that, including matching a season-high with 21 points against No. 1 seed Alabama. Look for Trammell, who is averaging 11.7 shot attempts over the last four rounds, to stay aggressive.
Matt Bradley Tournament Most Outstanding Player (+600)
UConn has been dominant, out-scoring its five tournament opponents by an average of 20.6 points. Since the field expanded to 64 schools in 1985, the Huskies are just the sixth team to reach the title game by winning every tournament game by double digits.
That said, if — we repeat, if — San Diego State manages to pull off the upset and cash in on its current March Madness odds of +280, Bradley has the best odds of any Aztec to win Tournament MOP. The 6-4 senior rebounded from poor performances against Alabama in the Sweet 16 and Creighton in the Elite Eight to score a game-high 21 points versus FAU. At 12.7 points per game, Bradley is the only Aztec scoring in double figures.
Connecticut to Win First Half by 4-6 Points (+450)
San Diego State trailed at halftime in each of its last two tournament games but outscored Creighton and FAU by an average of seven points in the second halves of those contests to move on. Meanwhile, UConn hasn’t trailed since early in the second half of its Round of 32 win over Saint Mary’s.
The Aztecs are defense-oriented and tend to play slow. They average just 68.3 possessions per game, which ranks 261st in the country. If UConn — a 7.5-point favorite — can get out fast and speed them up, it’ll be an uphill battle from the jump for the Mountain West Conference champions.
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