It's not just the futures odds board where bettors and oddsmakers think the Duke Blue Devils are in a class of their own.
At a majority of shops, the Blue Devils are between -110 and -115 to win the National Championship entering the Final Four. They would become the 17th team to be an odds-on favorite entering the Final Four since 1985. Of those 17 teams, seven won the title, and only four lost in the semifinal.
But where Duke will look to make history tonight is with its spread betting percentage (percentage of tickets on Duke to cover) against Houston — basically, how popular it is to cover in the Final Four against the Cougars.
With the actual spread in the game only fluctuating between -4.5 and -5.5 since open, these percentages mainly cover those numbers for the Blue Devils.
The percentage early in the week, with smaller bets and lower volume, was around 80%. As we hit the weekend, it came down to about 70%. Now, hours before tip-off, it's sitting at about 65%-66%.
When looking at the biggest public sides in the Final Four and national title game over the last 20 years, those teams are 0-3 SU and ATS in the Final Four. No team has closed with 62% of the tickets or higher since 2008, which is also the only other time we had four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four.
In the Final Four, North Carolina closed with 70% bets vs. Kansas — which is still the record for any team in a Final Four — and lost outright.
Then, two nights later, Memphis closed with 65% of bets against the Jayhawks — the second-most bets we've seen in this round — and also lost outright.
To keep up to date with Duke's betting percentage against Houston, check Action Network's public betting page. If it closes with 62% of bets or more, Duke would be the most popular bet in a Final Four since 2008. Anything above that threshold would add them to the list below.
Biggest Public Sides in Final Four Since 2005
| Team | Matchup (ET) | Year/Result |
|---|---|---|
 | UNC (-2.5) vs. Kansas | 2008, Final Four UNC (70%) | Kansas, 84-66 |
 | Memphis (-1.5) vs. Kansas | 2008, Title Game Memphis (65%) | Kansas, 75-68 |
 | LSU (-1.5) vs. UCLA | 2006, Final Four LSU (63%) | UCLA, 59-45 |
Now, it's time to see if Duke can make history.
