March Madness Odds: Final Four Predictions, Best Bets for Today's College Basketball Games

The Final Four tips off tonight, with UConn taking on Illinois in the opener and Michigan squaring off against Arizona in the nightcap.

Using FanDuel Sportsbook's Final Four odds, let's take a look at the three best bets for Saturday's games.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published.

College Basketball Final Four Best Bets, Picks and Predictions

Connecticut vs. Illinois

Illinois Moneyline (-134)

UConn has the brand and the national cachet, and they also beat Illinois by 13 at a neutral site earlier this year -- yet it's the Illini who are favored.

I think the sportsbooks have it right, and I like the Illinois moneyline tonight.

KenPom and Torvik both have Illinois as the better team. The Illini have been extremely impressive so far in the tourney, winning every game by at least 10 and notching a convincing win over Houston in the Sweet 16.

UConn has obviously been playing well, too, in the Big Dance. However, they were fairly fortunate to beat Duke in the Elite Eight, and in addition to that, the Huskies had a four-point win against Michigan State and weren't super convincing versus Furman in the opening round. Now, any win over a program like Michigan State is always a good W, but when we're trying to split hairs between two very good teams here, we have to nitpick.

Torvik projects the Illini to win by 2.8, and I'm in line with that. Illinois is the side I want to be on.

Solo Ball 2+ Made Threes (-144)

The three-point line winds up being a huge factor in most every basketball game these days, but I think that'll be especially true in this UConn-Illinois clash.

While the Illini are a good defensive team, they let up a lot of three-point looks, and Solo Ball can take advantage.

Illinois gives up the nation's 64th-highest three-point attempt rate (43.1%). That's likely the best avenue for UConn to win the game, and while I don't think they'll win, the Huskies will probably be letting it fly from deep.

Ball is having a brutally bad shooting season. A year ago, he nailed 41.4% of his threes on 6.8 attempts per night. This season, his three-point percentage is down to 29.2%. But his volume is roughly the same (6.6 threes per game), and that volume might get a little boost due to the matchup.

Ball has hit exactly two threes per game over his past 14 games, and him to sink multiple threes today is my favorite player prop of the Final Four.

Arizona vs. Michigan, 8:49 p.m. ET

First Half Under 73.5 Points (-111)

This game is one of the best college basketball matchups in recent history. That may sound like hyperbole, but per KenPom's ratings, it's 100% legit as Michigan and Arizona are the third- and fourth-best teams in the KenPom era.

The full-game total is set at a lofty 157.5 points, and it makes sense as these two teams are both top five in KenPom offense while also playing at fast paces -- Michigan is 22nd in adjusted tempo while 'Zona is 56th.

But these defenses are even better. Michigan ranks first overall in KenPom D, and Arizona checks in second. These teams can absolutely get after it defensively.

With nerves potentially a factor early on and the teams having to deal with less-than-ideal shooting backgrounds inside a football stadium, I think we could see a lower-scoring first half than what the market is expecting.

Which Final Four bets stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.