Final Four Predictions 2017: Picks, Best Odds to Win National Championship

Tournament time is finally here, folks. The NCAA tournament selection committee made its decision on Sunday night, and the big basketball dance is set to begin this week.

The annual tradition of filling our tournament brackets has become nearly as iconic as the tournament itself. A lot of work and luck can go into filling out a successful bracket, with early upsets and Cinderella stories sometimes being at the heart of the best ones.

However, we all know that true underdogs rarely make it to the end of the NCAA tournament. As OddsShark points out, no team lower than an eighth seed has ever made the finals, and over 37 percent of No. 1 seeds reach the Final Four.

In other words, the favorites are usually the favorites for a reason.

So who are the favorites in this year's tournament? Well, that's exactly what we're here to examine today. We'll run down the teams with the best odds to win the whole thing—courtesy of OddsShark—and take a look at some of the top contenders whose stories are worth watching. We'll also make our predictions for the Final Four.

First, though, let's take a look at the tournament bracket.

2017 NCAA Tournament

Tournament Favorites

Team	Odds
2. Duke	6-1
1. North Carolina	6-1
1. Villanova	15-2
2. Kentucky	17-2
1. Gonzaga	10-1
2. Arizona	12-1
3. UCLA	12-1
2. Louisville	16-1

Top Contenders to Watch

1. Villanova

The top-seeded team in the East region, Villanova rightfully deserves to be considered one of the favorites in this tournament. The team has just three losses on its 2016-17 resume, one to Marquette and two to Butler.

Fortunately, Butler is playing over in the South region and won't be a hindrance on Villanova's way to the Final Four.

This is an experienced Villanova team, led by seniors Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, and Darryl Reynolds. The core group has helped lead the Wildcats to the tournament in each of the past four seasons, and never as lower than a No. 2 seed. Obviously, they also helped deliver a national title last season.

However, don't expect Villanova to simply rest on what the team accomplished last year.

"A lot of character, that's the biggest part," Hart said of his team, per Joe Juliano of Philly.com. "We were national champs last year. There were a lot of opportunities to get complacent, a lot of opportunities to get big-headed. That's something we don't do. We're coachable."

The Wildcats may be coachable, but it definitely helps that much of last year's national title team will be back on the court. That team has averaged a solid 77.7 points per game this year while limiting opponents to just 62.8 points per contest.

2. Duke

Villanova's biggest competition in the East region is likely to come from second-seeded Duke. While the Blue Devils have had more of an up-and-down season, they come into the tournament on a four-game winning streak and with the crown in the ACC tournament. By doing so, they became the first team in tournament history to take the title after four wins in four days.

“We’ve had a heck of year, and were at our best in the last month once we got everyone together,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said, per Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com. “How the team compares to everyone, the committee will do a good job. We’ll go wherever they put us, and we’re OK with whatever seed. We haven’t paid any attention to that. We’ll just let [it] happen.”

It hasn't been an easy overall road for Duke to get to this point. The team has dealt with multiple injuries and the repeated on-court antics of one Grayson Allen. Yet, Krzyzewski has been able to navigate the obstacles and has the team playing its best basketball heading into the tournament.

More of an offensive force, Duke has averaged just over 80 points per game this season. With the team seemingly back on track, the Blue Devils might have enough chemistry to overcome any opponent on the court over the next couple weeks.

If Villanova and Duke meet in the regional finals, we're likely to be treated to one of the top games of the entire tournament. Either team could emerge, but we'll take the defensive prowess and the experience of Villanova to win.

2. Kentucky

While Villanova and Duke will have their own obstacles on the way to the Final Four, the Kentucky Wildcats really have a tough path. As the second seed in the South, the Wildcats are in a region with the likes of Wichita State, UCLA and North Carolina.

Yet, Kentucky has the goods on both ends of the court to come out of it all and enter the Final Four with as much momentum as any team in recent memory. The team is already riding a sizable wave of momentum, having won 11 straight games and the SEC tournament title.

Even the Wildcats themselves believe they're just now reaching their full potential.

“We don’t know what peaking is just yet,” Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox said, per the Lexington Herald-Leader. "But I think we’re playing our best brand of basketball this year.”

Experience isn't Kentucky's strongest suit (is it ever), but this team might have more offensive potential than any team in the tournament. The Wildcats rank fifth in the nation in scoring (86.1 points per game) and 12th in overall rebounding (40.2 per game).

If the first-year players on Kentucky's team can avoid allowing the moment to be too big, the inexperience of the Wildcats might actually be an advantage. While many players on the team have never been here before, they also don't know what it's like to lose in the tournament.

Few would be shocked if Kentucky made it through the entire tournament without experiencing that feeling.

1. North Carolina

The North Carolina Tar Heels could be Kentucky's biggest threat in the South. While the team fell short of winning the ACC tournament, the team that beat UNC, Duke, got placed in a different division. This suggests that if North Carolina can make it through the difficult region, they could be set for a rematch.

The Tar Heels are a dangerous team for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest is the team's experience. If not for a narrow loss to Villanova in last year's finals, we would be talking about North Carolina as the team with a chance to repeat.

Unsurprisingly, the Tar Heels plan to use last year's loss as motivation.

“I think they should use that as motivation,” North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said, per GoHeels.com. "They know how good it felt, so use that as motivation. And then if you happen to get lucky and still be playing that last Monday night, then you really can use last year as motivation"

UNC's offensive ability is another reason why the Tar Heels will be a tough out. The team has averaged an impressive 84.9 points per game this season. North Carolina is even better on the boards, leading the nation with an average of 43.5 rebounds per game.

It should surprise exactly nobody if the Tarheels meet Kentucky in the regional final. If they do, we should have another hotly contested matchup. The last time these two teams met, Kentucky pulled off a 103-100 win. We think Kentucky will again pull out a close one.

Predicted Final Four

Villanova

Kentucky

Kansas

West Virginia