Gonzaga a historic Final Four favorite vs. UCLA
Gonzaga has been making history this entire season, winning 30 straight games to reach the Final Four. It's only fitting to see the team priced as a historic favorite on the sport's biggest stage.
The Bulldogs opened as 14-point favorites Tuesday for their semifinal matchup with UCLA - tied for the biggest point spread in a Final Four or national title game in NCAA Tournament history. Only 1996 Kentucky (-14 versus Syracuse) has been favored by more than 11 points in the tournament's final weekend.
Gonzaga has certainly earned that level of respect. The team's adjusted efficiency margin (plus-38.82) is the highest by any program in the KenPom era (since 2002), and it's won a record 27 straight games by at least 10 points. The Zags have covered all four tournament contests, too, winning each by at least 16 points.
On the other side is UCLA, which is making history of its own during its Cinderella run. The Bruins are tied for the lowest seed (11) to reach the Final Four, and they're just the second team to play in the First Four and make it to the Final Four (2011 VCU). The Rams lost by eight points in that year's semifinal.
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C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.