One thing is certain in this year’s NCAA Tournament’s Final Four: at least one SEC school will play for the championship. That’s apparent as the first matchup on Saturday will feature the Florida Gators (34-4) against the Auburn Tigers (32-5).
Florida advanced to the Final Four after winning the West Region as the No. 1 seed. The Gators had a deceptively complex path to this game, defeating two-time defending champion UConn before defeating Maryland and Texas Tech.
Auburn’s path went through the state of Michigan. The Tigers defeated both the Wolverines and Spartans to earn their bid into the Final Four, the second time in coach Bruce Pearl’s career that he’s guided the SEC school to this point.
Which SEC team will represent the conference in the NCAA Championship game on Monday? We’ll cover that and provide you with our favorite player prop bets for this Final Four matchup on Saturday.
One of the most interesting stories of this Final Four is Walter Clayton, Jr. The 6-foot-3 senior was a top quarterback prospect, and Florida was in the mix for his services out of high school. Instead, the guard chose basketball, taking an offer from Rick Pitino at Iona to pursue that path.
The Gators will certainly be glad he did. In two seasons with the SEC school, Clayton has averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds to help Florida return to relevance in the SEC.
He’s also on a tear in the postseason. Outside of the Sweet 16 victory over Maryland, he’s scored at least 18 points in every SEC and NCAA Tournament game this year. Expect him to come close to this mark on Saturday, but bettors should take the under as he’ll finish with 20 or fewer points for the Gators.
Johni Broome’s last stand as a collegiate player will set a golden standard at Auburn. In the NCAA Tournament, the 6-foot-10 senior has averaged 17.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in his first four games, including back-to-back performances with at least 22 points and 14 rebounds.
There’s no reason to believe he won’t replicate that on Saturday against the Gators. In their first matchup, Broome scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his team’s loss to the SEC foe.
He’ll have at least that – if not more – in Saturday’s rematch against Florida to cover this player prop bet.
Sophomore Thomas Haugh has become one of the Gators’ unsung heroes for the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists since the start of the tournament.
That includes a double-double in the Elite 8 against Texas Tech when he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Florida. When he plays significant minutes over his last 20 outings, he’s easily eclipsing his player prop bet mark for this game.
The Gators will need Haugh throughout the contest, and bettors will be rewarded by taking the over for his rebounding total on Saturday.
Four of Auburn’s five losses came to teams that reached the Elite 8, showcasing the strength of the Tigers’ schedule. Except for Alabama’s overtime victory in the regular season finale, every loss on Auburn’s docket was by more than two points.
This pick is telling bettors the Tigers will win their rematch against Florida. The Gators pulled a 90-81 upset over Auburn in February, ending the Tigers’ 14-game winning streak.
Expect Pearl to be celebrating in the Alamodome on Saturday night after guiding Auburn to its first-ever championship matchup.