Final Four Game 1 betting preview: Auburn vs. Virginia

The 2019 NCAA Tournament was incredibly chalk through the Sweet 16, but there’s just one top-seeded team standing for Saturday night’s Final Four from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. That’s South Region champion Virginia. The Cavaliers face No. 5 Auburn, the surprise Midwest winner, in Saturday’s first game, with Virginia a 5-point favorite.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

UVA also is the slight favorite to win its first-ever national championship on Monday night and thus should be favored against the winner between No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 Texas Tech, although injuries or blowouts could change a potential title game spread. Neither Virginia nor Auburn has ever played for a national championship, with the Tigers in their first-ever Final Four.

Virginia has been known for its (Pack Line) defense under Coach Tony Bennett, with the Cavs again leading the nation in points allowed this season at just 55.4 points per game. They play a plodding type of game. It should be a clash in styles because Bruce Pearl’s Tigers like to play up-tempo and average 80.1 points per game, firing away at will from three-point range. Almost half of Auburn’s field-goal attempts this season came from deep.