2008 Final Four Betting Odds: Memphis vs. UCLA

2008 Final Four betting odds have been released for Memphis vs. UCLA. 

Memphis opened as the -1 favorite verses UCLA at Bookmaker.com, the oldest established online bookmaker catering to North American gamblers.

After reaching the Final Four for the third straight time, UCLA coach Ben Howland called these Bruins "by far the best" of the three.

The other two didn't have freshman Kevin Love, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the top-seeded Bruins blitzed Xavier 76-57 Saturday to earn their record 18th overall trip to the Final Four.

Love was picked as the most outstanding player of the West Regional.

"Obviously, it's unbelievable," Howland said after taking the last few snips of the net. "That's really a credit to how good the players are and how well we performed under pressure the last three years."

Kevin Love has had an outstanding freshman year at UCLA. With his performance in the NCAA tournament, Love compares favorably to some past UCLA greats through their first four games in the tournament.

UCLA plays a Memphis team that dismantled Texas on Sunday afternoon.

Driving, dishing and dunking, going above the rim for rebounds and flying around to block shots, Derrick Rose led Memphis past Texas 85-67 Sunday for its first trip to the Final Four since 1985.

"I'm just living the dream right now," said Rose, who finished with 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds. "Everybody back home is happy for me and our fans back in Memphis are happy, so we're just living it up."

John Calipari returns to the Final Four with a new team after a 12-year absence.

While the 2008 Final Four featuring Memphis vs. UCLA will feature plenty of prop bets and other wagering opportunities, both Memphis and UCLA offered excellent value in the futures market heading into the Final Four as well.  The two teams were listed with 3.5/1 odds of winning the Championship.  The payout would be around $350 for every $100 bet. 

This will be the first Final Four featuring all number one seeded teams. 

2008 Final Four Betting Odds can be found here

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published March 30, 2008 8:51 pm EST