As the March Madness online Vegas odds roll in for the Final Four beginning Saturday, fans are stoked for what will be the final weekend of the season. Naturally, at VegasBetting, we have a few questions regarding our 2022 NCAA Men’s March Madness Final Four Picks. Who will win the Duke-North Carolina clash? Who will advance to the Championship?
| NCAAB March Madness Final Four Odds |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | +160 | +165 |
| Duke | -190 | -190 |
| Villanova | +170 | +170 |
| Kansas | -200 | -195 |
The North Carolina Tar Heels wound up in the East region as an 8th seed. Their March Madness Final Four opponent is the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils (West region). There literally needs to be no introduction to two teams who know the “Battle Of Old Tobacco Road” all too well. This is one game where the significance was being remarked upon before either team even advanced to the Final Four.
Now, North Carolina and Duke is the late Saturday evening game. Tipoff is still set for approximately 8:49 pm ET. It looks like Duke was an opening 4 1/2 point favorite (now four). This titanic Final Four clash will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana from the Caesars Superdome. The game will be televised on TBS.
The oddities with this coincidence is itself something else. No one could honestly make this up if they tried.
The fact that North Carolina is around a 4 point underdog on Saturday night can be debated at least a little. What may be surprising is the way that North Carolina demolished Duke in the ACC Tournament. That cannot just be simply discounted. The 13-point margin was an indication of the Tar Heels’ strength. Duke is facing a much different North Carolina team than from earlier in the season. That showed in the NCAA Tournament.
Now, with the NCAA March Madness Final Four Picks, one can believe that the North Carolina Tar Heels can win this game straight up. The Tar Heels are athletic and versatile enough to beat the Duke Blue Devils at their own game. Furthermore, North Carolina can play defence with the best in the nation. They held down St. Peter’s to just 49 points on 30% shooting. Carolina slowed down UCLA to only 66 points.
Duke has a formidable frontcourt and a backcourt that can cause some issues for North Carolina. There is a reason why the Blue Devils are a favorite to advance to the Championship game. Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore are the two big weapons, especially Banchero. He was somewhat contained in the conference tournament but still had 23 points (11-for 26 shooting). Carolina was able to neutralize the other weapons on Duke better.
The key for North Carolina will be to use their experience against a Duke team that has four out of five underclassmen in their starting five. Everyone knows the legend that is Mike Krzyzewski. Everyone also knows that Duke can shoot the lights out (see against Texas Tech and Arkansas in spurts). Duke is facing a team, however, that can as well. Plus, again floor general leadership makes a difference in games like this.
This will be an iconic battle. Expect North Carolina to cover and win a tight one outright.
The opening matchup could be must watch television too. The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks (Midwest) and second-seeded Villanova Wildcats face-off early Saturday evening. This game will be televised on TBS at 6:09 PM ET coming again from New Orleans. It is a March Madness Final Four game that has a decent moneyline pick.
Yes, Kansas has had its issues at times in this tournament but not many. They were down to Miami (FL) at the half of their Elite Eight game. Then, the lights went on and for the Hurricanes the lights went out. Miami had 35 points in the first half and had slowed down the Jayhawks to a crawl. Kansas stumbled early.
The second half was a completely different story as the Jayhawks dominated and demoralized Miami at every turn. Kansas held the Hurricanes to a measly 15 points. Miami did not even make consecutive field goals the entire second half. This was demolition in the truest sense and Kansas shot greater than 50% en route to a 47-point final 20 minutes. Now, that cemented a trip to the Final Four and opened some eyes.
It is that higher level of play that places Kansas in a prime position. Then, there is Villanova which advanced out of its region by outlasting Houston in what became one of the uglier games of the tournament. The Wildcats held the Cougars to just 1-of-20 shooting from beyond the arc and 30% from the field. This sets up the game well.
Kansas and Villanova is a great way to end the March Madness Final Four Picks. Why? These are two teams that play contrasting styles. However, consider this fact.
What Glenn Clark is referring to here is the Justin Moore injury. Moore was visibly in tears after coming out of the Houston game. He is out for the rest of the tournament. Jay Wright and Villanova can play great defensively and have so much balance. The problem is that Kansas can drive a car like a Ferrari.
This figures to be not as close. Our pick is Kansas over Villanova. Also look at the spread as well.
The March Madness Final Four will be fun. Here is a bit more information.
BetOnline, a great betting site, jumped early on the opening numbers. Come examine our top sportsbooks below and see our Vegas News and Picks too.
