2017 NCAA Championship Odds: North Carolina Opens As 2-point Favorite Over Gonzaga
North Carolina is a slight favorite over Gonzaga as a pair of top seeds will battle for the national championship Monday night.
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Moments after North Carolina's thrilling 77-76 win over Oregon, the Tar Heels opened as 2-point favorites over Gonzaga in Monday's national championship game.
The Westgate LV SuperBook, BookMaker.eu and BetOnline.ag all opened the final at UNC -2, with the Westgate opening the Over/Under at a sky-high 154.5.
BookMaker opened the total at 153 and immediately moved up to 153.5 based on early Over money.
"Gonzaga defined the 'Cinderella' mantra of college basketball, and it will always be the first to wear the glass slipper, but that doesn't change the fact that to the public the Zags appear overmatched against the greatest program of all time," said Scott Cooley, BookMaker's odds consultant. "We anticipate action on the over, but hopefully the public action will be split on the spread."
Early money is on the Zags, pushing the line to UNC -1.5 at most books.
UNC also was a 2-point favorite against Kentucky in the Elite Eight -- a game that ended on a push. Except for that game, the Tar Heels have been favored by at least 4 points every game since their visit to Duke on Feb. 9.
Gonzaga advanced with a 77-73 win over South Carolina, failing to cover the 6.5-point spread. The Zags are 1-3-1 against the spread in this NCAA Tournament.
UNC is 2-2-1 ATS in the tourney after failing to cover the 4.5-point spread versus Oregon.
SportsLine expert Kenny White, a renowned Vegas oddsmaker, had predicted last week that the Tar Heels would be 2-point favorites over the Zags. He was right on the money.
