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The Baylor Bears are one win from the NCAA Tournament title game and early returns show bettors expect them to handle second-seeded Houston in Saturday’s first semifinal.

The Bears, the top seed in the South Region, were installed as 4.5-point favorites by DraftKings, where they are being backed by 87 percent of the spread line bets and 92 percent of the handle as of Tuesday. The Cougars are being backed by only 13 and 8 percent, respectively.



Baylor’s -200 moneyline was also being supported by 70 percent of the bets and 76 percent of the handle.

Bettors are also backing the Over of 136 points to the tune of 74 percent of the market bets and 71 percent of the handle.

Baylor entered the tournament with the second lowest odds of +600 at PointsBet. Those odds have steadily shortened all the way to +240 on Tuesday. Houston’s odds have shortened from +2500 pre-tournament to +450.

The Cougars winning the title remains one of PointsBets biggest liabilities, including a $3,500 wager that would pay $91,000 if Houston wins it all. That is the biggest remaining outright winner bet at the sportsbook.

The Bears (26-2) are in the Final Four for the first time since 1950 when the NCAA Tournament was just an eight-team tournament. Baylor will make just its third Final Four appearance.

The Cougars (28-3) won the Midwest Region to advance to their first Final Four since 1984 and sixth overall. Houston is the first team to defeat four double-digit seeds in a single NCAA Tournament.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)