UConn guard Jordan Hawkins (24) celebrates in the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game against Gonzaga in the West Region final of the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Las Vegas. The University of Connecticut Huskies have reached the men's Final Four for the first time since 2014, and some bettors like their chances to go all the way.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/David Becker
TORONTO – The University of Connecticut Huskies have reached the Final Four for the first time since 2014, and some bettors like their chances to go all the way.
The fourth-seeded Huskies moved on to the semifinals of the NCAA men’s basketball championship Saturday with an 82-54 Elite Eight victory over third-seeded Gonzaga. And it was a popular win with Proline Plus customers.
According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., 55 per cent of bettors picked UConn to win but just 36 per cent had the Huskies covering the -2.5 spread.
Ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic also reached the Final Four with a 79-77 upset win over third-seeded Kansas State on Saturday night. Seventy-seven per cent of customers had the school +3.5 points but only 23 per cent had it winning the game.
And finally, 58 per cent of bettors had No. 5 Miami +3.5 points in its 88-81 victory over No. 2 Texas on Sunday. However, 46 per cent had the Hurricanes winning the game.
Thanks to a flurry of upsets, Connecticut (-132) is now the betting favourite, taking 8.5 per cent of all wagers on the tournament winner outright.
Not surprising, hockey again dominated play with three of the top four events of the week being on the ice. In order, they were: Arizona Coyotes versus Edmonton Oilers; UConn versus Gonzaga Bulldogs; San Jose Sharks versus Edmonton; Pittsburgh Penguins versus Colorado Avalanche; and Miami Hurricanes versus Texas Longhorns.
On Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3. Just 25 per cent of customers picked the Hurricanes to win but 68 per cent successfully predicted the total over 6.5 goals.
The following night, Toronto edged the Nashville Predators 3-2. That was good news for the 84 of customers who picked the Leafs to win.
The Toronto Raptors provided decent returns for Proline Plus players. Fifty-seven per cent of customers had Toronto winning in its game Friday night versus the Detroit Pistons (118-97) while 53 per cent had the Raptors -12.5 points.
Toronto defeated the Washington Wizards 114-110 on Sunday night, with 83 per cent of bettors successfully predicting that. But only four per cent had the total under 220.5 points.
A $20 digital wager on a nine-pick parlay earned one Proline customer a $5,948 payout. Another earned a $6,371 payout from a $50 digital bet on a 12-pick parlay while a $30 digital wager on an eight-pick parlay resulted in a $4,128 payout
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023.
