While it’s been nearly two decades since a men’s basketball team from Louisiana last reached the Final Four, there’s no denying that many across the Bayou State and sportsbooks in Louisiana will still have a vested interest in this weekend’s games in Glendale.
Between fellow SEC program Alabama and the darlings of March Madness this year, in NC State, there’s a relative local rooting interest for basketball fans from The Boot, while defending champion UConn and Purdue bring plenty of interesting storylines as well.
At the moment, oddsmakers from FanDuel Sportsbook Louisiana list Purdue (-9.5 vs. NC State) and UConn (-11.5 vs. Alabama) as the favorites on Saturday, with the Huskies holding the best championship odds of the four, at -185.
We used Google Trends Search Interest Scores to compare Louisianans’ search volume for each of the four remaining teams in NCAA Men’s March Madness. These results were tracked on a scale of 1-100 and from the start of March Madness (March 18) through April 1.
Louisianans Rooting Interest in Final Four
| Rank | Team | Google Trends Search Volume Score |
| 1 | Purdue Boilermakers | 24 |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 23 |
| T3 | NC State Wolfpack | 19 |
| T3 | UConn Huskies | 19 |
MORE: Louisiana betting apps
Which MBB Teams Are Louisiana Residents Pulling For?
It seems like the non-local team is the top pick for residents from Louisiana this weekend, with the Boilermakers of Purdue holding a 24 search volume score, beating out Alabama (23), NC State and UConn (19 apiece).
Interestingly, none of the four teams in this year’s men’s Final Four have a single player born in Louisiana, which has produced six current NBA players, meaning residents of the Bayou State have to get a bit creative in finding a local angle in this weekend’s games in Arizona.
Regardless of who Louisiana residents are pulling for, Saturday’s doubleheader inside State Farm Stadium is sure to draw interest across the state, with some of the best players in the nation squaring off on CBS come Saturday evening.
Stick with LouisianaBets.com for the best Louisiana sportsbook promos ahead of the national title game.
USA Today photo by Ken Ruinard.
