Villanova vs. Kansas Bracket Prediction: March Madness Final Four Odds
We’re coming down to the wire in the 2022 men’s NCAA Tournament. The Final Four gets underway Saturday night in New Orleans as the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats face the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks. This is the furthest both teams have made it in the tournament since they faced off in the 2018 Final Four, with Villanova winning en route to their third national championship in school history.
The Jayhawks have been bet up to 4.5-point favourites to win on the NCAAB odds after opening as 3.5-point chalk. The total dipped half a point before returning to 133.0.
Villanova vs. Kansas NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Villanova has to feel good about this game. The last two times these teams met in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats went on to win the national championship. Nova downed the Jayhawks 95-79 in the 2018 Final Four, eventually winning their second national championship in three years. The Wildcats also took out Kansas in the Elite Eight in 2016, winning 64-59.
Villanova is a riding a nine-game winning streak heading into this contest. They’ve been a decent cover option this season, going 20-15-2 against the spread overall and covering in all four tournament games. The Wildcats’ defence has held opponents to 56.2 points per game over their last seven, with the total going Under in six of those contests.
Kansas also comes in riding a nine-game win streak and they’re a healthy 6-1 straight up in their last seven games against Big East opponents. They’re an even 19-19 ATS this year, although they’ve only covered in two of four tournament games. They failed to cover as 6.5-point chalk against Providence in the Sweet 16 and they couldn’t cover as 13-point favourites against Creighton in the second round. The total has gone Under in three of the Jayhawks’ tournament games and seven of their last 10 overall.
The Wildcats are 8-1 in neutral site games this year, while Kansas is 11-1.
Villanova Wildcats (2)
Villanova reached the Final Four with wins over Delaware, Ohio State, Michigan and Houston. The Wildcats received some crushing news following their 50-44 win against Houston in the Elite Eight, with the announcement that the team’s second leading scorer, Justin Moore, is done for the tournament with a torn Achilles. Moore was averaging 14.8 points per game, behind only Collin Gillespie’s mark of 15.6 ppg.
This is a veteran laden team, however, as both Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels were given a fifth year of eligibility because of COVID. Gillespie is a two-time Big East player of the year and he leads an offence that has the best free throw percentage in the nation at 83 per cent. Samuels averages 11.1 ppg and has led Villanova in scoring in three of four games this tournament.
Expect senior guard Caleb Daniels to step up in Moore’s absence on Saturday. Daniels is fourth on the team with 10.1 ppg, but he should be given more offensive responsibility with Moore out of the lineup and he’s from New Orleans, so the Final Four is a homecoming for him. He’ll be tasked with helping an offence that shot just 15-for-52 from the field against Houston and 5-for-21 from three-point range, although they were a perfect 15-for-15 on free throws.
Kansas Jayhawks (1)
Kansas cruised to the Final Four with wins over Texas Southern, Creighton, Providence and Miami. Their 76-50 win against Miami marked the biggest margin of victory in the Elite Eight since 1992. Ochai Agbaji led the way with 18 points, followed by David McCormack with 15 and Christian Braun with 12. Agbaji is a reliable guard who averages a team-high 18.9 ppg. Big man McCormack averages 10.1 ppg and has the potential to be a frontcourt difference-maker.
The supporting cast of Braun, Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris is crucial for this team to win, but don’t overlook Remy Martin as the most valuable X-factor. Because of injuries, the transfer guard has only averaged 8.6 ppg this year, but keep in mind he was averaging 19.1 ppg his last two season at Arizona State. He also looks like he’s healthy again, putting up 23 points against Providence in the Sweet 16 and 20 against Creighton in the second round.
Kansas is dangerous and they’ll be a particularly difficult opponent for Villanova with Moore out of the lineup. The Jayhawks are averaging 78.3 ppg, 27th in the nation. The defence has also looked better in this tournament, holding opponents to 59.8 ppg though four games.
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