All eyes will be on North Carolina versus Duke in the 2022 Final Four, as the two rivals clash in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever, as Duke’s Coach K prepares to retire after the season. Already the most-hyped game of any season, the battle will get unprecedented levels of attention in the week leading up to the national semifinals.
That leaves Villanova and Kansas, two of the best programs in college basketball, and two of the biggest contenders this season sitting like vultures, waiting to swoop in and play the winner for the title after the circus ends.
Villanova Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday, April 2, 2022 – 06:09 PM EDT at Caesars Superdome
Kansas is 32-6 and has won nine straight games. Villanova is 30-7 and also riding a nine-game winning streak. Both teams have won three national championships as this year’s Final Four features four former champions who have combined for 17 titles.
Villanova and Kansas have played in the tournament three times—2018, 2016, and 2008—with the winner going on to win the title each time.
No Moore
The biggest story in the game is the injury to Villanova’s second-leading scorer, Justin Moore. The 6-foot-4 junior went down with a torn Achilles at the end of Villanova’s win over Houston in the Elite Eight and is out for the weekend’s game, if not much longer. The Wildcats already had a very short rotation, with only six players logging more than 10 minutes a game. Moore’s injury turns them into a five-man team.
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Despite the loss, Villanova is still loaded with fifth-year seniors, putting Kansas in the rare position of playing a more experienced team. Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels are both back for their fifth seasons and averaging 27 points between them. They’ll need to step up their production to make up for Moore’s absence.
Nova is a deadly three-point shooting team and is close to setting an NCAA record for free-throw accuracy. The Wildcats also showed in the 50-44 grind-out win over Houston that their defense is no slouch either, ranking No. 18 in the country in efficiency.
Old, Deep Team
Kansas is led by a trio of seniors. Ochai Agbaji leads the team with 18.9 ppg and hits nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers. He keeps defenses from collapsing on 6-foot-10 big man David McCormack, who logs 10.1 ppg and 6.8 rebounds.
Remy Martin, a transfer from Arizona State, has come off the bench much of this season, and on a team with four double-digit scorers, he’s the fifth option. He’s exploded in the NCAA Tournament, however, with back-to-back 20-plus point outings against Creighton and Providence.
With junior Christian Braun (14.3 ppg, .392 from three) and 6-foot-8 sophomore Jalen Wilson (11.0 ppg and 7.4 rebounds), Kansas has a second outside and inside option behind Agbaji and McCormack. Sophomore Dajuan Harris runs the show with 4.2 assists a night. The Jayhawks have a seven-man rotation with three other players who contribute at least eight minutes a night.
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Kansas has the No. 6 offense and No. 13 defense in the country and is the 18th best team at defending the three.
The Picks
The textbook NCAAB pick is to go with Kansas, who matches up well with Villanova, defending what the Wildcats do best. Kansas is deeper, almost as experienced, and the Wildcats are reeling after losing one of its best scoring options.
The NCAA isn’t always about the textbook, however, and Jay Wright has emerged as arguably the sport’s best coach, as he goes for his third title in the last six tournaments. Look for Villanova to slow Kansas down and try to pull out a close, low-scoring game.
NCAAB Pick: Villanova +4.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
