Final Four 2017 betting odds: Gonzaga opens as favorite to win NCAA Tournament

The first lines to come out after the Final Four was set have Gonzaga with +160 odds to cut down the nets and win the NCAA Tournament.

After an eventful Elite Eight that ended with an all-time classic, the Final Four for the NCAA Tournament is set. Gonzaga, South Carolina, Oregon, and North Carolina are all competing to see who will cut down nets at the end.

It’s a unique field given that Gonzaga and South Carolina are making their first Final Four appearances. Oregon’s last national title game appearance was 1939, back when it was just an eight-team tournament. North Carolina is the only real seasoned vet.

And yet, it’s Gonzaga who’s favored to win the NCAA Tournament. Now that they’ve gotten over the proverbial hump, bookmakers like them to go all the way:

Perhaps because of the experience factor, it’s a bit of a surprise to see Gonzaga be the favored team here. But even though they played an 11-seed, they did have the most impressive performance of the Elite Eight. It’s also hard for a team to make it back to the Championship a year later, but we already saw Clemson and the Cleveland Cavaliers do it.

As expected, South Carolina is the longshot to win. It isn’t that unthinkable for them to win it — UConn won as a No. 8 seed in 2014. But they probably don’t mind being disrespected once again — it’s worked well for them so far, as their Twitter account will remind you.

If there’s one National Title Game that the NCAA will definitely hate, it’s North Carolina vs. South Carolina. They famously moved seven championship events from the state of North Carolina because of House Bill 2, and has threatened to keep doing so until the bill is repealed. But it hasn’t stopped the Carolina teams from playing well at the Tournament.

Next: Final Four 2017 opening betting odds

Whoever wins this year, it should be a fun game to watch. The National Championship usually never disappoints.