Daily public money update: Final Four bet splits tightening up

Andrew Ortenberg

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I'm an NFL handicapper here at Pickswise who was raised in a household full of sports fanatics. Since I unfortunately never had LeBron James' jumping ability I wasn't able to make it to the NBA, and chose writing about sports as the next best thing. An avid sports bettor myself, I'm excited to get to write about the industry as it gets set to take off across the country. Buckle up. For Andrew Ortenberg media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

NCAAM: Kansas -4 vs Villanova

The Final Four field just got set with the Elite Eight wrapping up on Sunday, and bettors have wasted no time placing their wagers for next weekend’s action. The betting volume is going to be off the charts here, so it’ll be very interesting to see how these splits move throughout the week leading up to Saturday. So far the biggest public side has been Kansas. A total of 69 percent of the bets are on the Jayhawks -4 over Villanova, per DraftKings’ internal numbers shared with us.

However, only 48 percent of the handle is actually on Kansas, meaning most of the larger volume bets have been on the Wildcats. Be sure to keep an eye on our March Madness hub for all the content we have to get you prepared.

NCAAM: Duke -4 vs North Carolina

One of the most highly anticipated college basketball matchups in years will take place here as North Carolina takes on Duke. This spread is also -4, and just like with Kansas/Villanova the public is leaning toward the favorite — but just barely. A total of 54 percent of the bets and 56 percent of the money are laying the -4 with the Blue Devils.

It’s pretty tight, and the books might be content to just take their vig here and not have a massive liability on this game with how many people will be betting it. Head over to our full game preview for North Carolina vs Duke to see if our expert agrees.

Golf: Valero Open winner

Need a break from all the basketball and hockey going on? There’s also a big golf tournament coming up this weekend! The PGA’s Valero Open will take place from Thursday-Sunday, and DraftKings has given us a peek at how the action is shaping up. So far Abraham Ancer has been the most popular pick to win the tournament at +2200.

He’s getting 5.3 percent of the bets and 7.5 percent of the handle. Bryson DeChambeau is next in terms of handle at +2800, as 6.8 percent of the money wagered is on him. Jordan Spieth is getting the second-most amount of bet tickets, as 4.8 percent of the bet slips have been on Spieth at +1400. Check out our Golf tab for everything we’ve got coming.

NBA: Suns -4.5 @ Warriors

Wrapping things up with some NBA. There was a huge pro basketball slate on Wednesday with 11 games, and the biggest public side was reserved for the nightcap. Heavy money is coming in on the Suns, as 87 percent of the bets and a whopping 94 percent of the public money are on Phoenix as a road favorite over the Warriors.

This is a nationally televised game, so the betting volume should be high here. Which means the sportsbooks could desperately use a Golden State cover in this one. We’ve got free picks on both the side and the total for Suns vs Warriors.

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