The 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game is set for tip-off tonight, April 6th at 9:21 PM EST. It all began when 64 became 32, 32 became 16, 16 became eight, eight became four, four became two and by the end of tonight, two will give way to one; such is the NCAA’s March Madness tournament. Take a look at the NCAA Championship wagering odds right now!

When online wagering odds were established for the Final Four, the UConn Huskies saw themselves installed as a 3.5-point favorite against the Michigan St. Spartans but by the time opening tip-off came around, bettors had pushed UConn up to –5 at most online sportsbooks. It was a tough game for the betting public, as MSU shocked the Huskies, winning straight up 82-73…the flushing sound you heard as the final buzzer went was parlay and teaser bets all over the land going down the toilet.

In the other Final Four tilt, the North Carolina Tar Heels opened as 7.5-point faves, but by game time, at SPORTSBETTING.com, the line had settled in at –7 as bettors felt Villanova had a real shot at keeping this one close. They didn’t and the ‘Heels covered handily in an 83-69 win over the Wildcats.

Those results set the table for tonight’s big Championship game. The odds opened up with the Tar Heels listed at -7.5 but UNC money quickly moved it to –8. The Total also got pushed up quickly as “Over” money showed early. It opened at 153 and now the over/under sits at 154.

Seeing North Carolina as a solid favorite at the sports books is nothing new obviously. This team has been the favorite to win it all virtually the entire year. They started the year as the odds-on favorite to be crowned champs, and the same for the tournament future odds. And after each round they opened as the favorite to win it all.

Not only were they seeded No. 1 in the South region for the tournament, UNC has gone 5-0 SU and ATS during tourney play, racking up an Over/Under record of 1-4. The Spartans have been just as profitable during March Madness equaling UNC’s SU and ATS records at 5-0 but differing in the Total department with 3 overs and 2 unders. In the past 10 games, North Carolina is 6-4 ATS while Michigan State is 8-2 ATS.

While many opponents throughout March Madness have had little or no history between one another, the Tar Heels and the Spartans have met seven times since 1995, with North Carolina holding an edge of 5-2 against the spread. They’ve met this past season as well, although MSU fans would like to forget about that one. The Tar Heels were a 10.5-point favorite when they took to the floor in early-December. It was a not a god night for the Spartans – the Tar Heels ran them out of the building, posting a 98-63 victory—fittingly enough that game was at Ford Field, the site of today’s championship game.

The last time the two met in the latter stages of the tournament was during the Final Four in 2005, North Carolina again won, defeating Michigan State 87-71 covering as a 5-point favorite.

Fate has not been kind to Michigan St. when it is favored by 8-points or less, as it is 8-12 ATS in its last 20 games, however, it is also 6-14 on the Over/Under at the same time. More recently, the Spartans are actually profitable when listed at +8 and below going 6-2 ATS in its last eight. North Carolina is 10-9-1 ATS in its last 20 games when favored by 8-points or less and more recently it is also 6-2 ATS in its last eight when favored by the same amount. The Tar Heels are 13-7 on the over/under in the same span of time.

Heading into the game tonight the Tar Heels continue to see most of the betting action, as 76% of the volume is backing a North Carolina win and cover. One NCAA prop wager of interest at SPORTSBETTING.com is for the total number of different players to score 10 or more points in the title game with the over/under set at 6.5.

Taking a look at Michigan State’s roster, only guard Kalin Lucas and forward Raymar Morgan average over 10-points a game (14.7 and 10.4 ppg respectively) while NC’s roster has five players who average ppg in double-digits, Tyler Hansbrough (20.8 ppg), Ty Lawson (16.5 ppg), Wayne Ellington (15.8), Danny Green (13.3) and Deon Thompson (10.6).

Ty Lawson missed the first game of the tournament thanks to a toe injury but has been playing well after returning to the lineup averaging 20.75 points and 7 assists per game. Lawson has also been chipping in at the free throw line shooting 75% from the charity stripe.

Enjoy the last game of the season for college basketball.

Bittersweet…that’s the feeling for sports bettors as they head into Final Four weekend. On one hand, there is sure to be some great basketball served up by the remaining four teams, but on the other hand, the college basketball season will crown a champ and turn out the lights for another season in a few days.

The online wagering odds have the Connecticut Huskies a -4 1/2 point favorite at most online sportsbooks. The futures betting has been steady on the four remaining teams, with UConn listed at +250 to win the NCAA hoops championship, Michigan State at +500, North Carolina the odds-on favorite at -125 and Villanova a long shot at +600. View all the Final Four wagering odds from several online sportsbooks all on one page.

Bettors have been enamored with the Tar Heels all tournament, and that hasn’t changed this week. According to online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com, Tyler Hansbrough and crew have received a little over 50% of all the wagering volume on the “Who will win the Championship” future odds option. Not surprisingly, the other #1-seed left standing, UConn, is running second with the sports betting public, grabbing 30% of the wagering action.

It all tips-off on Saturday and in the first semifinal, the Michigan State Spartans will go up against the Connecticut Huskies with the latter favored by 4.5-points and the Total set at 134. The Spartans are 13-7 ATS in the last 20 games but more importantly, they’ve fought their way to a perfect 4-0 ATS mark during the March Madness tournament. UConn hasn’t been as good down the stretch going 10-10 ATS, but during the NCAA tournament, it has matched Michigan St. pound for pound with a 4-0 ATS mark.

In their last 20 games as an underdog of 6-points or less, Michigan State isn’t profitable when betting against the line, going 7-13 ATS. Total bettors might want to take note though, as they do have an “Under” trend, posting a mark of 4 overs and 16 unders in those 20 games. In their last 20 as a favorite of 6-points or less, UConn has been a mediocre 10-9-1 ATS. Their Over/Under numbers directly contrast those of the Spartans, as they have 16 overs and only 4 unders in that span, including a recent four straight overs.

In this matchup, Connecticut is getting a solid majority of the betting action at SPORTSBETTING.com, as 70% of bettors are wagering on the Huskies.