March Madness Final Four: Preview, Prediction, How To Watch
And then there were four...
MAR 30, 2022
As quick as it came, it left. The NCAA Tournament is down to the national semifinals with the Final Four teams standing – Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, and Kansas.
After all of the madness, we're left with four blue bloods.
How To Watch The Final Four
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.
When: Saturday, April 2
(1) Kansas vs. (2) Villanova, 5:09 pm CT
(2) Duke vs. (8) North Carolina, 7:49 p.m. CT
TV: TBS
The Final Four Storylines
15-seed Saint Peter's stole the show this March, making it further into the NCAA Tournament than a 15-seed ever had before– the Elite Eight. However, their run came to an unceremonious ending against North Carolina, by way of a 26-point blowout.
Despite carrying a blue blood name and branding, UNC is far from a favorite this year. They made the tournament as an eight seed, looking to become the third-ever eight seed to make the tournament final. However, that feat has been buried under UNC now making the most Final Fours in the country (21).
It's buried even further so in their matchup with two-seed Duke. By now, we all know this is the first meeting between the two bitter rivals in March Madness. We also know this is– yet again– potentially Coach Mike Krzyzewski's last career game. Win or lose, it's a fitting chapter for the Hall of Fame coach.
Villanova, also a two-seed, last reached a Final Four in 2018. They previously made it in 2016, where they famously beat UNC in the championship on one of the greatest buzzer beaters in history. This is a possible rematch in New Orleans, though UNC is now headed by a new head coach.
Finally, the last standing one-seed Kansas is appearing in their 16th Final Four. Coach Bill Self is coaching his fourth Final Four game with Kansas. The Jayhawks have potentially been the least-talked about one seed this year, being buried in a mess of a Midwest Region with upstart teams like Providence and Miami.
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Who Is Favored?
As of Wednesday morning, Kansas is a 4.5-point favorite over Villanova. The implied total for that game is 132.5 points. Duke is a 4-point favorite over UNC, and that game has an over/under total of 151 points.
Players To Watch
North Carolina: Guard Caleb Love was a highly touted and highly scrutinized player this season. He's the second-leading scorer for the Tarheels at 15.7 points per game. Love led UNC with 30 points in their Sweet 16 upset of UCLA and scored 23 in their opening-round win over Marquette.
Duke: Wendell Moore Jr. hasn't been the team's leading scorer every game, but he's the most dependable. He's hit over 50% of his field goals, 81% of his free throws, and over 41% of his three point shots. In a tight game, expect Moore to be the guy taking– and making– the clutch shots for Duke.
Villanova: Collin Gillespie is one of the most experienced players in the nation. He's the Wildcats' leading scorer (15.9 points per game) and is absolutely lethal with the ball in his hands. Gillespie sinks nearly 41% of his threes and over 90% of his free throws. While his scoring numbers aren't gaudy, Gillespie is the one sinking his opponent's hopes and dreams with dagger after dagger.
Kansas: While Ochai Agbaji is one of the top scorers in the nation, Remy Martin has been the unsung hero for Kansas in this tournament. Martin dropped 23 against Providence in the Sweet 16 and 20 in the Round of 32 against Creighton. He averaged just 8.6 points per game during the season, but has been the tournament hero thus far.
Predictions For The Final Four
No matter which team wins this, we're getting an all-time coach punching another championship ticket. Gillespie is a killer and killers matter in tight games. Kansas hasn't been touted that much behind sound play, but also because the failed to separate against Creighton and Providence; Miami's glass slipper just fell off after the Canes held their own in the first half.
The pick: Villanova
As fun as it would be to see an eight-seed in the championship with the potential for a Villanova-UNC rematch, there's just no way Coach K is going to let UNC end his career. At this point, it's fair to assume Coach K is going to go out on top of the entire college basketball world.
Duke-UNC is going to be an all-timer. Likely high scoring, a bitter rivalry, and everything at stake.
The pick: Duke
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Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. He’s covered college sports for Fansided, Stadium Journey, and several independent outlets over the past five years. A graduate of BGSU, Brett currently works on-site at Google as a project lead for content curation products.
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