Final Four Predictions 2017: Picks, Odds and Analysis on Locks for Semifinals

Take a look at the six teams with the best odds to win each regional below. Would you be that floored if any of, say, 20 teams came through to win their regional?

On a personal level, it's hard to see anyone but North Carolina, Kentucky or UCLA winning the South, and it's difficult seeing St. Mary's getting past Arizona in the second round, but other than that, every other team's path to the Final Four seems reasonable.

That's what should make this NCAA tournament so exciting. There's a strong and deep group at the upper echelon of Division I this year, which should make for some great matchups in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Here's a look at each regional, along with some Final Four picks.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

Ultimate March Madness Bracket Video

East Regional

Team	Odds
Villanova	+160
Duke	+250
SMU	+800
UVA	+900
Baylor	+1000
Florida	+1200

OddsShark

Villanova has a treacherous path back to the Final Four, with games against Wisconsin (under-seeded at No. 8), Florida or Virginia in the Sweet 16 (two of the best defensive teams in the country) and Duke (the ACC champion).

Duke's path is more manageable, as it should make the Sweet 16 fairly easily before facing a difficult opponent in Baylor or SMU.

Don't sleep on a Final Four run for the Mustangs, by the way. They finished 30-4 this year, but more notably, they only play six guys. That group can do a little bit of everything, as the stats show.

In the end, take Duke to make the Final Four. It's on fire right now after a torrid ACC tournament run that included wins over Louisville, North Carolina and Notre Dame.

Pick: Duke

West Regional

Team	Odds
Gonzaga	+160
Arizona	+200
West Virginia	+550
Florida State	+800
St. Mary's	+1200
Notre Dame	+1200

OddsShark

This looks to be a two-horse race on paper with Gonzaga and Arizona perhaps destined for a rematch in the Elite Eight after the Zags beat the Wildcats earlier this season.

However, West Virginia could spoil that party, specifically for Gonzaga, who it would likely face in the Sweet 16. The Mountaineers' press defense has been a serious problem for teams this year, most notably No. 1 seed Kansas, who lost 85-69 to WVU in Morgantown.

That being said, WVU is looking at a potential matchup with ACC title game finalist Notre Dame in the second round, which is a difficult draw. Regional favorites Gonzaga and Arizona don't have very hard round-of-32 matchups on paper.

This regional could go in a few different ways, but take Arizona to win simply because it is traveling along the path of least resistance among the top teams.

Pick: Arizona

Midwest Regional

Team	Odds
Kansas	+220
Louisville	+350
Oregon	+400
Purdue	+500
Iowa State	+1000
Michigan	+1200

OddsShark

Kansas has the worst odds of any No. 1 seed to get to the Final Four, and four teams in the Midwest have 5/1 odds or better to make it to Glendale.

The sleeper team here, and it's odd to write because it did so well during the season, is Oregon. The Ducks lost sophomore forward (and leading shot-blocker) Chris Boucher to a torn ACL, but even without the fantastic big man, they are still a very good crew. Expect them to make the Sweet 16 at least.

However, Louisville is the team to beat here. The Cardinals are a tough, athletic and strong defensive team that played a brutal schedule this year. If they can find a way to make free throws, they'll be very tough to take down.

Kansas didn't look good in its loss to TCU in the Big 12 quarterfinals. Yes, it was without Josh Jackson, but it's tough to consider KU for a very deep run when it ended the season poorly. There's also a concern that KU's defense simply won't hold up in the tournament.

Pick: Louisville

South Regional

Team	Odds
UNC	+135
UK	+275
UCLA	+450
Butler	+1000
Wichita State	+1000
Cincinnati	+1400

OddsShark

How strong of a No. 10 seed is Wichita State? Vegas is giving the Shockers 10/1 odds to win a regional that is loaded on the top three lines. Furthermore, no other team ranked below a No. 7 seed is listed on any of the regional tables here.

It's possible for the Shockers to pick off UK in the round of 32, but it's hard to envision them beating UK, UNC and UCLA, which is what they would likely have to do to make the Final Four.

Going back to the path of least resistance argument, UNC seems to travel along that line in the South. Its potential Sweet 16 matchup vs. Minnesota or Butler doesn't seem daunting on paper. In fact, Minnesota is a trendy pick to lose to Middle Tennessee in the first round. Meanwhile, UK and UNC will likely duel in the Sweet 16.

North Carolina should emerge from the South and face Louisville.

Pick: UNC