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SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo shares the latest betting information for Saturday's Final Four matchups in the NCAA men's tournament. After four exciting Elite Eight matchups, the 2021 Final Four of the 2021 NCAA men's tournament is officially set. The No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs are the only undefeated team this season at 30–0 and have looked unstoppable; outscoring opponents by a combined 96 points in four tournament victories.  In order to get to the championship game, the Bulldogs face a UCLA club that is the biggest surprise of March Madness . The success of the Pac-12 conference, which sent four schools (Oregon State, UCLA, USC and Oregon) to the tournament, have posted an incredible 14–3 (82%) against the spread (ATS) mark—with the Bruins now representing the conference in the Final Four. Michigan, the No. 1 seed in the East Region , fell to  No. 11 seed UCLA , 51-49 as 6.5-point favorites. The Bruins are the first team in NCAA tournament history to make it

Two MMQB writers duke it out, taking sides on if the 17-game season is a good thing. Conor Orr : Mitch, hello. I think we should write something on the 17-game season. Would you want to fight about it? I remember we had a spirited back-and-forth about the expanded playoffs last year. I said you were wrong and kind of inadvertently called you a nerd in the lede of my column . And then you were right . Perhaps by including both perspectives, there’s less of a chance I look like a dolt. Mitch Goldich : Conor, hello. Thank you for finally admitting that “Shut up, nerds” was directed at me. Yes, this is every editor’s dream: To suggest a writer write something and have that writer say, “Actually, you should do half of it.” I don’t know if it’s going to be a fight fight, but count me in. CO : Perfect! Just make sure to put my byline first. Glad you've caught on to my increasing laziness. What I'm about to write sounds incredibly selfish, but if 2020 taught me anything, it

Shrewd deadline moves rounded out the roster and made Miami a team no one wants to see in the playoffs. View the original article to see embedded media. Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com ’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays. It’s been a rough season for the Miami Heat. They’re under .500, spinning their wheels in the Eastern Conference’s middle class one year after they were an eyelash away from winning the championship. Before they beat the Knicks on Monday night, the Heat found themselves skidding through a six-game losing streak, a drought they haven’t felt since 2017 . If you’re looking for reasons to believe this team can turn things around, some of Miami’s record-related problems can be explained by bad luck. They’re 13–14 in clutch situations. Bam Adebayo didn’t play in five of those g

The closest thing we’ve ever had to an underdog Bruins team keeps dancing, past the doubters and all. INDIANAPOLIS — The on-court celebration was just about over when Mick Cronin found a bottle of hand sanitizer on the corner of the court. He picked it up, squirted some on his mitts, then grabbed a pile of East Region championship hats. He was going to throw them into the stands to family and friends amid the ecstatic UCLA cheering section when red-coated security guards rushed in to stop this heinous act of communal joy. Cronin turned away with a laugh. Apparently the hats were viewed as potential health hazard, carrying COVID-19 or something from the Lucas Oil Stadium floor to the folks in the stands. Safety-first here in the men's NCAA tournament bubble, a strange place where the strangest surviving team is Cronin’s Bruins. He did get to join the fans in doing the UCLA eight-clap for his No. 11 seed, and did get to point out the legion of doubters who appraised his team with

Gonzaga, Baylor and Houston aren't a surprise to be here, but UCLA sure is. Editor's Note: Welcome to Morning Madness, SI's daily newsletter during the NCAA tournament. We'll provide you with insight, analysis, picks and more from our college hoops experts. Sign up here . INDIANAPOLIS — For all the hubbub of madness, for all the upsets, for all the underdog winners and superdog stunners, the 2021 men's NCAA tournament will end with a lot of chalk: two No. 1 seeds, a No. 2 seed and the blacksheep of the group, No. 11 seed UCLA . Indicative of this bizarre COVID-19 year, this tournament has produced a Final Four with three of the top eight seeds in the event while also featuring a record-tying number of upsets (13 wins by teams seeded five spots worse than their opponent). Top seeds Gonzaga and Baylor are joined by No. 2 seed Houston and, as mentioned, the upstart Bruins, who barely squeaked into this event, even having to win a game in the First Four. UCLA’s

Johnny Juzang powered the Bruins past Michigan in a defensive-minded affair in the men's Elite Eight. UCLA was down five points with 89 seconds to go against Michigan State in the First Four. Now, the Bruins are headed to the men's Final Four. UCLA completed its miraculous run through the East Region with a 51–49 victory over No. 1 seed Michigan . The Bruins, who spent Selection Sunday sweating after losing their last four regular season games, are headed to the Final Four for the first time since the program's run of three straight that ended in 2008. This was a gritty, defensive-minded affair that harkened back memories of head coach Mick Cronin’s days at the helm of the Cincinnati men's program. The Bruins scored just four points in the game’s first 10 minutes. But Cronin’s club got the offensive spark it needed from Johnny Juzang, who scored 14 straight Bruin points at one point and tallied 18 of the team’s 27 points in the first half. Meanwhile, UCLA tightene

Timme was dominant from the jump as the Bulldogs dispatched the Trojans to roll into the men's Final Four. INDIANAPOLIS — If you’re in a rush here and want to know how Gonzaga made the men's Final Four, which you probably expected them to make, just know that Drew Timme ran out of new celebrations midway through it. The Bulldogs took a 20-point lead shortly into the second half, curling their way through a baseline out of bounds play that started with Corey Kispert rolling to the corner, but instead sent the ball to Jalen Suggs, who faked multiple Trojans with a brief hesitation and found Timme diving into the paint for a two-handed dunk. The next part has become as predictable as Gonzaga’s remarkable dominance, which has gone on mostly unfettered for months, with an 85–66 win over USC now in the rearview. Timme’s index fingers traced the outline of his ubiquitous, furry mustache, wiping beneath both nostrils for emphasis (not cleanliness) and finishing with a skyward poi