While no men’s basketball teams from the Volunteer State have ever reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament’s expansion era, that isn’t to say Tennessee residents don’t have a vested interest in this year’s national semifinal.
That’s because Alabama, N.C. State, Purdue and UConn all have some semblance of a connection to the Volunteer State. The Crimson Tide look for their first title ever, while N.C. State looks to earn its first title in 31 years, and Purdue aims for its first title since capturing the Premo-Porretta title in 1932.
Surprisingly, one of Tennessee’s longest-held SEC rivals is the Volunteer State’s top choice in Saturday’s Final Four, with the Crimson Tide beating out the Boilermakers, Wolfpack and Huskies when it comes to in-state support.
As for TN sports betting title futures, the state’s top choice faces some tough sledding, with the Crimson Tide listed at +1600 to win the championship, ranking behind UConn (-200) and Purdue (+200).
BetTennessee.com used Google Trends search interest scores to compare state residents’ search volume for each of the four remaining teams in men’s March Madness. These results were tracked on a scale of 1-100 and from the start of March Madness (March 18) through April 1.
Tennessee Rooting Interest in Final Four
In the Women’s Final Four, Tennessee betting apps list South Carolina as the championship favorite at -200, followed by Iowa at +300.
SEC Champion Would Mean More
Based on Google Trends search volume totals, Alabama is Tennessee’s No. 1 choice in Saturday’s Final Four, with a search volume score of 20, beating out Purdue (19), N.C. State and UConn (11 each).
This year’s Alabama team has zero players from Tennessee on the roster, though SEC roots run deep in the South, which might explain the state’s support for Nate Oats’ squad. Surprisingly, none of the four teams left in the men’s bracket have a single player born in Tennessee on their rosters, which might also explain the state’s decision to support a conference foe.
Nonetheless, for those looking to put down some coin on the games in Glendale, the team at Fanatics Sportsbook Tennessee has Purdue as a 9.5-point favorite (with a -450 moneyline), while UConn is listed as a 12-point favorite over the Crimson Tide in Saturday’s nightcap (with a -750 moneyline for the Huskies).
USA Today photo by Gary Cosby Jr.
MORE: Tennessee sports betting bonuses
