The 2019 Final Four is finally here, as No. 1 seed Virginia takes on No. 5 seed Auburn and No. 2 seed Michigan State takes on No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the two national semifinals in Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday night. Virginia vs. Auburn tips the night off at 6:09 p.m. ET and then Michigan State vs. Texas Tech follows with an estimated tip time of 8:49 p.m. ET. The Cavaliers are six-point favorites over Auburn with the total at 131.5, while the Spartans are a 2.5-point favorite with the total at 132.5 in the latest 2019 Final Four odds. Of course, only one team gets to cut down the nets on Monday, and all four teams have had amazing runs thus far. So before you make any 2019 NCAA Tournament Final Four picks or predictions, be sure to check out the 2019 Final Four parlay of best bets from iconic Vegas sharp Hank Goldberg.
Hammer enters the Final Four of the 2019 NCAA Tournament scorching hot. He's 31-18 in his recent college basketball picks, a stunning 63 percent cash rate that's returned nearly $1,100 to $100 players in a short amount of time. That includes going 8-3 against the spread in games involving these four teams.
This is the same handicapper who enjoyed 15 winning seasons in his 17-year ESPN run. Last year, Hammer competed against 10 top handicappers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's NFL Challenge and beat them all, finishing 50-29-6 in against-the-spread picks. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
One of Hammer's 2019 Final Four picks we're giving away: The under 132.5 hits as the Spartans take on the Red Raiders on Saturday night.
Both the Spartans and the Red Raiders are filled with high-level defenders. Xavier Tillman and Kenny Goins are monsters on the boards for Michigan State, and Nick Ward has performed admirably in his return from a wrist injury adjusting to his new role off the bench. That rebounding prowess is a big part of why the Spartans rank eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech has Jarrett Culver and Matt Mooney to harass opponents on the perimeter, and Tariq Owens is its shot-eraser at the rim. The graduate transfer from St. John's averages 2.4 blocks per game and has 10 blocks so far during the 2019 NCAA Tournament. He's a huge part of Texas Tech having the lowest adjusted defensive efficiency rating of the last 18 years.
Hammer also has identified an underdog in prime position to spring a Final Four upset. The line on that game is way off, Goldberg says, so it's a must-play for any Final Four parlay. You need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks for Saturday.
So what are the three Final Four best bets Hammer is confident will return a huge 6-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to see which underdog can win outright, and see which spread is way off, all from the legendary handicapper who's hitting 73 percent of his March Madness picks involving these Final Four teams.
