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March Madness Final Four Best Bets: Expert Picks & Predictions for NCAA Tournament
Pictured: North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble reacts to a missed opportunity. Photo by Jim Dedmon via Imagn Images.

One of the most fun parts about March Madness betting is the challenge of identifying the correct Final Four participants.

Our March Madness Final Four predictions, part of our NCAA Tournament bracket picks, include our five best value bets to reach San Antonio and feature a mix of sleepers and long shots to round out our portfolio. 

A year after NC State became the sixth No. 11 seed in history to reach the Final Four, we are inspired to identify any such teams that can make a Cinderella run this year as part of our March Madness predictions.

๐Ÿ“– March Madness regional previews: South Region betting preview | East Region betting previewWest Region betting preview | Midwest Region betting preview

๐Ÿ€ March Madness Final Four predictions & best bets

Here are my five best value bets to reach the Final Four ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, along with each team's Final Four odds from our best sports betting sites.

๐Ÿ† No. 1 Florida (-110 via Caesars)
๐Ÿ† No. 2 Michigan State (+550 via DraftKings)
๐Ÿ† No. 5 Clemson (+1500 via FanDuel)
๐Ÿ† No. 11 VCU (+4000 via DraftKings)
๐Ÿ† No. 11 North Carolina (+6500 via DraftKings)

๐Ÿ‘‰ Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness first-round picks.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Want AI-driven bracket insights? Check out our full March Madness AI bracket predictions with score predictions for every game.  

4๏ธโƒฃ Best Final Four picks & predictions

Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

๐Ÿ† Best bet to reach Final Four: Florida (-110)โญโญโญโญโญ

๐Ÿ“… Last Final Four appearance: 2014
๐Ÿ“Š Best odds: -110 via Caesars

The SEC made history with 14 teams earning NCAA Tournament berths. The hottest one of them all is the conference tournament champion Gators, who have as good a chance as any team to cut down the nets in San Antonio.

All of Florida's losses came against NCAA Tournament teams, and it has five wins over teams seeded either No. 1 or No. 2. The Gators are one of three teams that rank in the top 10 in both of KenPom's adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency metrics, and they have arguably the easiest path of any No. 1 seed to the Final Four.

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๐ŸŽ Best dark-horse contender: Michigan State (+550)โญโญโญ

๐Ÿ“… Last Final Four appearance: 2019
๐Ÿ“Š Best odds: +550 via DraftKings

Michigan State last made the Final Four in 2019, when it beat No. 1 overall seed Duke in the Elite Eight. To reach the Final Four again, it will likely have to topple the No. 1 overall seed again in Auburn.

The Spartansโ€™ eight-game win streak before their loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament featured seven wins against NCAA Tournament teams, five of which came away from home. 

Nothing should stand in the way of Michigan State getting to the second weekend, and its +550 odds are a steal, considering Auburn hasnโ€™t looked invincible with three losses in four games.

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5๏ธโƒฃ Best No. 5 seed or lower: Clemson (+1500)โญโญโญ

๐Ÿ“… Last Final Four appearance: Never
๐Ÿ“Š Best odds: +1500 via FanDuel

Clemson is searching for its first Final Four appearance in school history after reaching two Elite Eights in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Tigers fell to Alabama in the Elite Eight last year, 89-82, and returned 46.3% of the minutes from that battle-tested squad.

Clemson ended with its first winning ACC road record since 1987. As the only team in the conference to beat Duke this year, that more than proved that the Tigers are capable of a Final Four run.

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๐Ÿ˜ด Best mid-major sleeper: VCU (+4000)โญโญ

๐Ÿ“… Last Final Four appearance: 2011
๐Ÿ“Š Best odds: +4000 via DraftKings

Arguably, the most exciting first-round game in any region is the No. 6 vs. No. 11 matchup in the East between BYU and VCU. If the Rams can win that clash of styles, there is no telling how far they can go.

In a region that boasts several of college basketballโ€™s most explosive offenses in Duke, Arizona, Wisconsin, and BYU, VCU and its eight-best scoring defense (62.4 points per game allowed) could be the perfect foil.

The Rams had the highest offensive and defensive efficiency of any team in the Atlantic 10. 

Head coach Ryan Odom has already been rumored to be a top candidate for the open head coaching positions at Virginia and Villanova. He would stand to earn a lucrative contract if he takes his team on a surprise Final Four run.

๐Ÿ‘  Best Cinderella long shot: North Carolina (+6500)โญ

๐Ÿ“… Last Final Four appearance: 2022
๐Ÿ“Š Best odds: +6500 via DraftKings

North Carolina is a blue blood in college basketball. But the Tar Heels qualify as a โ€œCinderellaโ€ in terms of reaching the Final Four this year after being the last team included in the 68-team field.

Since 2011, the inaugural year of the First Four format, two teams (VCU in 2011, UCLA in 2021) have gone from a First Four game to the Final Four. 

The Tar Heels are capable of going on a similar run, and have players on their roster like leading scorer RJ Davis that have experience playing in a National Championship not long ago. 

The +6500 odds at FanDuel are a great value compared to the +3500 at Caesars.

๐Ÿ”ฎ March Madness predictions for every game today

๐Ÿ€ March Madness first-round expert picks

๐Ÿ“Š Live Final Four odds for March Madness

Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the first round.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Want to bet on the NCAA Tournament? Check out the latest March Madness odds and Final Four odds.  

๐Ÿ‘‘ Best March Madness betting sites

Ready to place your March Madness bets? Check out our the best March Madness betting promos from our best March Madness betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review.

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