NCAA Tournament 2018: Odds and Predictions for Final Four Bracket

The four remaining teams in the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament took much different routes to San Antonio, where the Final Four will be held on Saturday.

No. 3 Michigan survived a tough battle with Houston in the second round thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from freshman guard Jordan Poole, but otherwise the Wolverines have been in control for the rest of the tournament thanks to their excellent defense.

No. 11 Loyola-Chicago lived on the edge in its first three games, winning by a combined four points. The Cinderella story then played the heavyweight in the Elite Eight as it crushed Kansas State 78-62.

No. 1 Kansas overcame an 11-point first-half deficit against Penn, held on for dear life against Seton Hall and Clemson and then played in one of the tournament's best games when it beat Duke in overtime to win its region.

The only team that's enjoyed a relatively smooth ride has been the No. 1 Villanova Wildcats, who have won each game by double digits.

It should be an interesting Final Four, especially with a No. 11 seed making an appearance. Here's a look at the latest odds (via OddsShark), the bracket and a few Final Four picks.

Bracket

No. 3 Michigan (-5) vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago 

Much of the talk leading up to this Final Four matchup between Michigan and Loyola-Chicago will be centered around the Ramblers' remarkable run to San Antonio. They became just the fourth double-digit seed to make the Final Four and could be the first to appear in the national championship should they beat the Wolverines.

However, the Wolverines will pose the Ramblers' stiffest test yet. Michigan has one of the best defenses in the country, as it is ranked fourth in defensive efficiency on the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings. They have held three of their four tournament opponents (Montana, Houston and Florida State) to field-goal rates of 32, 37 and 31 percent, respectively.

Their fourth adversary (Texas A&M) scored 72 points and made 48 percent of its field goals, but the Wolverines dominated that game from start to finish en route to a 27-point win.

The Ramblers defense is impressive as well, as they allowed just 62.4 points per game this year, which ranked fifth in Division I. Loyola-Chicago is also one of the more efficient scoring teams in the nation, as it hits 50.9 percent of its field goals, which is third in D-I.

Junior guard Clayton Custer, who hit the game-winning shot against Tennessee in the second round, leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per night. Five Ramblers (including Custer) average at least 10 points per game.

This should be a close (and low-scoring) game on paper where the first team to 60 (if they get that far) wins. The difference here, however, will be the standout play of Michigan junior guard Charles Matthews, who has turned it up a notch in March. In four tournament games, Matthews has averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. He's also been efficient from the field, knocking down 52 percent of his shots.

In the end, look for Matthews to hit a couple of clutch shots down the stretch en route to a one-possession win.

Pick: Loyola-Chicago (+5); Michigan outright

No. 1 Villanova (-5) vs. No. 1 Kansas

In an NCAA tournament that was filled with chaos, chalk eventually won out on the right side of the bracket, as two No. 1 seeds will face off in the Final Four.

The Villanova Wildcats have looked unbeatable in March, winning their four NCAA tournament matchups by an average of 18.25 points per game. Their closest contest was against West Virginia, and the Wildcats still won by 12.

Teams have had significant trouble stopping the well-rounded starting lineup. Villanova arguably has the two best guards in the country (Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges), who average a combined 37.0 points per game.

However, four other Wildcats post double-digit scoring averages, and they are also strong down low thanks to the efforts of 6'9" freshman forward Omari Spellman (team-leading 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game) and 6'9" junior forward Eric Paschall (12 points and 14 rebounds against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight).

Kansas posted an excellent win over Duke in the Elite Eight, pulling out an 85-81 overtime victory thanks in part to 32 points from the sharpshooting sophomore guard Malik Newman.

The issue is that KU hasn't been consistent in this tournament (or all year). The Jayhawks faced an 11-point deficit in the first half to Penn, gave up 53 points in the second half against Seton Hall and saw a late 15-point lead whittled down to four against Clemson.

Notably, senior guard Devonte' Graham, who has been fantastic for the better part of the year (he averages a team-leading 17.2 points per game) has gone cold in his last three outings, making just nine of 29 shots. The Jayhawks are going to need him and Newman to be at their best if they are to beat Villanova.

That being said, the Wildcats look invincible right now, and it's hard to bet against them considering their remarkable tournament run. Villanova is the pick to win against the spread.

Pick: Villanova (-5)