Alabama is least bet team to win national title. Nate Oats says Tide 'playing with house money' in Final Four
Alabama loves being the underdog. In the Final Four, the Crimson Tide doesn’t have to make any curious claims to say UA is being doubted as a national championship contender.
The Final Four field of Alabama, UConn, NC State and Purdue was set Sunday. With the dust settled on the field, bettors started to work.
According to data shared by DraftKings with Saturday Down South, Alabama is the least popular pick to win it all in Arizona.
As of Tuesday, Alabama ranked fourth in terms of bets on which team will win it all, per DraftKings.
Rank by number of bets:
- NC State
- UConn
- Purdue
- Alabama
Rank by handle (money bet):
- UConn
- NC State
- Purdue
- Alabama
Nate Oats on underdog status: “We’re playing with house money”
Like his players, Alabama coach Nate Oats is all about embracing the underdog label.
“Nobody’s gonna pick us to win,” Oats said in a Tuesday media opportunity. “We’re kind of playing with house money a little bit, if you will. We weren’t supposed to beat Clemson. We weren’t supposed to beat North Carolina. A lot of people were picking against us against Grand Canyon.”
After discussing defense for a bit, Oats got back to talking about not being picked to win.
“We’re not gonna be picked to win, I know that, but sometimes the best team, the one that’s picked, doesn’t always win,” the coach continued. “We were the underdog against Carolina – not as big as we are now – but we figured out a way to win. I don’t think our guys are gonna relax to the point where they’re not gonna play hard and be ready to play. We played hard these last four games.”
Alabama’s “house money” mindset could lead to a big payday for bettors.
As a Final Four team, Alabama’s odds have shifted. The Crimson Tide were priced at +4000 pre-tournament, meaning a $100 bet before the First Round would potentially win $4000 with an Alabama title.
UA is still a longshot. The Crimson is now priced at +1600 as a Final Four.
For those who believe in Bama, it’s still quite the opportunity. A bet of $100 would win $1600 if the Tide are able to defeat both UConn and the winner of NC State/Purdue.
21+ only. NC only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 877-718-5543 or visit morethanagame.nc.gov.
If anyone can beat Uconn, it’s the ‘Bama team that went white hot from the 3 pt line against Clemson.
The SEC homer in me had both Alabama and UT in the final 4, so I hit 1 out of 2. Would love to see the Tide wipe the smug off of Dan Hurley’s face, but wow, that’s a tuff one.
Have to play the games. UConn has the players to win. We will play the game and find out. Hopefully UConn will be looking past Alabama and get caught short. The 3 point shot is a game changer. If you can make enough of them.