The teams in the Final Four are not exactly the teams pundits predicted would be alive for the NCAA Tournament National Semifinals. In fact, only one of the New Orleans teams is seeded at No. 1 in the NCAA tournament, but we still have an attractive roster of contenders to win the national title. Together, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova are responsible for 17 NCAA championships, including nine since the turn of the century. It’s hard to write a better end of the season.
Even better, Caesars Sportsbook odds makers are expecting the penultimate table of this season’s games to be a stunner. Kansas, No. 1, is favored by just 4.5 points over Villanova, No. 2, and Duke, No. 2, by just four points over No. 8 North Carolina.
And yet… our pundits are almost unanimous on who will move into Monday’s national championship game. North Carolina native Chip Patterson drives with underdog Tar Heels in a bold straight-up pick in Saturday’s Finals, but for the most part the rest of our team likes the favorites winning as part of a chalky Final Four. We will see.
Stay with CBS Sports for the rest of the month for coverage of the NCAA tournaments until the end of the Final Four. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for Saturday’s Final Four games.
Odds on Caesars Sportsbook | All times Easter
2022 Final Four Predictions
(2) Duke vs. (8) North Carolina
8:49 p.m. | TBS, March Madness Live: Duke and North Carolina shared the regular-season series, but UNC played spoilers on its win that extended beyond the win on Duke’s home court. That’s because the Tar Heels’ win in the finals was achieved by Coach K at Cameron Indoor. As silly and cliche as it sounds, the revenge tale for Duke here leads me to believe. It’ll probably be close – almost certainly it’ll be close – but Blue Devils by a field goal feels like the number. take the points Choice: North Carolina +4
Spread | UNZ +4 | DUKE -4 | DUKE -4 | UNZ +4 | UNZ +4 | UNZ +4 |
Straight on | DUKE | DUKE | DUKE | DUKE | DUKE | UNC |
(1) Kansas vs. (2) Villanova
Spread | CAN-4.5 | NOVA +4.5 | CAN-4.5 | CAN-4.5 | NOVA +4.5 | NOVA +4.5 |
Straight on | CAN | CAN | CAN | CAN | CAN | CAN |
18:09 | TBS, March Madness Live: It’s impossible to boil down a matchup to a specific injury or facet of the game…in most cases. However, it could be as simple as that: Villanova, already thin at depth, is even paper thin after losing second-best scorer and league leader Justin Moore to an Achilles injury in the Elite Eight. KU has the depth advantage and is pretty close to a tie in terms of talent. Maybe Caleb Daniels will step in for Nova and Jay Wright ride five or six guys for 35+ minutes with success, but I’m skeptical the injury won’t tipp that big in the Jayhawks’ favour. Selection: Kansas -4.5
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