Final Four Predictions 2018: Updated Bracket, Picks to Make NCAA Championship

It's called March Madness for a reason.

The first weekend of the men's 2018 NCAA tournament resulted in a shortage of glass slippers and an appearance of top seeds of the endangered species list.

Any championship game picks that featured two teams seeded second or lower have already had their bubble burst. Two rounds into the Big Dance, the third-seeded Michigan Wolverines are already the highest-ranked team on the left side of the bracket.

Will chaos continue when play resumes Friday, or will the remaining juggernauts start to look the part?

Final Four Predictions

Kentucky Over Gonzaga

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Oddsmakers have one piece of advice for anyone betting the left side of the bracket—stick to the familiar squads. After the South and West regions were ravaged by upsets, fourth-seeded Gonzaga and fifth-seeded Kentucky now have the highest championship odds (plus-700) on that half of the docket, per OddsShark.

Separating the two teams is tough—KenPom.com has Gonzaga seventh and Kentucky 16th—but coach John Calipari's squad is following a familiar pattern. His freshman-heavy roster is playing its best basketball of the season at the perfect time, having lost just once since Feb. 14.

"We're starting to play in big-time environments, starting to play together on both ends of the floor, and it's fun to watch," forward Kevin Knox said, per Kyle Tucker of SECCountry.com.

Kentucky's length and athleticism can be overwhelming when they are properly channeled on the defensive end. Each of its first two opponents shot below 40 percent from the field and went a combined 18-of-64 from three (28.1 percent).

Granted, it hasn't faced an offensive machine like Gonzaga's, the 12th-most efficient attack in the country. And the experience disadvantage Kentucky would face in that matchup could be enormous.

But the Wildcats have the defenders needed to keep themselves within striking distance. And if the contest is close, that's where their superior individual talent can take over.

Calipari might not have an Anthony Davis or a Karl-Anthony Towns on this roster, but it's still swimming in NBA prospects.

Three Wildcats found themselves among the top 35 on Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman's big board—Kevin Knox (ninth), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (17th) and Hamidou Diallo (34th). The Bulldogs, for reference, only had Rui Hachimura at 39th.

Villanova Over Duke

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

There aren't two better teams left in the tournament than Villanova and Duke. And they might have breathed the easiest during the first and second rounds.

Jay Wright's Wildcats have outscored their tourney opponents by 49 points so far. Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils are right behind at plus-47.

It's little surprise, then, that these clubs are regarded above the rest. Oddsmakers say Duke has the best chances of capturing the crown (plus-325) and Villanova is next (plus-450). FiveThirtyEight's win probabilities say the Wildcats are first (22 percent chance) and the Blue Devils are second (18 percent).

If they lock horns in the Final Four, the game would have instant-classic potential. Based on their bodies of work, though, Villanova has the stronger case for being selected.

The Blue Devils have four losses in February and March. The Wildcats have four losses all season. Villanova has the nation's most efficient offense built around a wealth of perimeter shooters (their top-five scorers hit 39-plus percent of their threes). Duke's third-ranked offense is more tied to the inside-the-arc games of Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr., who are a combined 2-of-5 from distance in the tournament.

The Blue Devils might have the most talented roster in the country. The Wildcats have experience and execution on their side.

Villanova follows the leads of juniors Jalen Brunson—a Naismith finalist—and Mikal Bridges (a likely lottery pick). Duke's starting five features four freshmen and unpredictable senior Grayson Allen.

Both clubs deserve their rankings as the top two teams left in this field. But the Wildcats look a touch more likely to reach the title game.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of KenPom.com, ESPN.com and Sports-Reference. Odds obtained via OddsShark.