The Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks enter this season’s Final Four the top choices on the board to win the title. Duke is a +160 choice while the Jayhawks are at +180. But will either team move on from their respective semifinal matches? Will the Blue Devils beat the rival Tar Heels? Will the Jayhawks take down the Villanova Wildcats? Check out March Madness Odds, analysis, and free picks for each Final Four Semifinal contest.
Favorites Duke and Kansas Search for a Monday Night Showdown
2022 Final Four
- When: Saturday, April 2
- Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Game 1 – Villanova Wildcats vs Kansas Jayhawks
- When: Saturday, April 2 at 6:09 pm ET
- Spread Odds: Kansas -4 ½
- Moneyline Odds: Villanova +170 / Kansas -200
- Total Odds: Over 133 -110 / Under 133 -110
The way Kansas thoroughly dominated Miami had to impress. The Jayhawks locked down on the Hurricanes in the second half, holding Miami to 15 points on their way to a 76-50 win.
But although Kansas looked great when taking their Elite Eight game, we shouldn’t read too much into the victory. The Jayhawks were down by 6 points at halftime. Not only that, but Miami was the 10-seed in the region and only plays seven.
So no wonder the Hurricanes tired in the second half. On Saturday, Kansas plays a much tougher opponent.
Villanova had to beat the Houston Cougars to win their Elite Eight match. Jay Wright’s squad suffered a horrendous shooting night, but their defense was so magnificent, it didn’t matter.
Nova can run with the Jayhawks if Kansas prefers. Or Villanova will play defense and force Rock Chalk into tough shots. No matter anyway we look at it, Nova is an overlay on both the against the spread line and the moneyline.
So Wright’s squad covers. But can Villanova beat Kansas straight up? For sure, the Wildcats can. The last couple of times Villanova made the Final Four, they went on to win the title. Nova knocks out the lone remaining 1-seed.
Final Four Pick: Villanova +170
Game 2 – North Carolina Tar Heels vs Duke Blue Devils
- When: Saturday, April 2 at 8:49 pm ET
- Spread Odds: Duke -4
- Moneyline Odds: North Carolina +160 / Duke -190
- Total Odds: Over 151 -110 / Under 151 -110
This is, essentially, an ACC rubber match between a couple of teams that beat each other during the regular season. So Duke is a massive underlay both against the spread and on the moneyline.
Sure, Duke dominated the Tar Heels in the first match. But UNC won the second game and the second contest in a 2-game series is always the more important. The team that wins the second game made the required adjustments.
No doubt, Duke is a strong team. But the Blue Devils don’t match up well with the Tar Heels. More importantly, North Carolina beat Baylor and UCLA, the 1-seed and 4-seed in their region, while Duke didn’t have to face Gonzaga on their way to the Final Four.
North Carolina has three players that can take over this game, forward Armando Bacot and either of the starting guards, Caleb Love or R.J. Davis. Bacot is unstoppable while Love scored 30 in the win over UCLA and Davis dropped 30 in the win over Baylor.
The line in this game should be Duke -1 to 1 ½ at most. The moneyline should be closer to UNC +110 to +1115. North Carolina wins this straight up.
Final Four Pick: North Carolina +160