Final Four Predictions 2022: Early Projections Following NCAA Bracket Release

The perennial powers of men's college basketball have some favorable paths to land in New Orleans for the Final Four. 

The Gonzaga Bulldogs earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Selection Sunday. Their path is not easy, but there are advantages in certain matchups that can help them get back to the Final Four. 

John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats will be a favorite pick out of the East Region. The SEC program could ride National Player of the Year candidate Oscar Tshiebwe to land a spot in the national semifinals in the middle of SEC country.

The Arizona Wildcats could use a similar edge in the paint to advance out of the South Region, especially if chalk holds in that bracket. 

As for the Midwest Region, one of the hottest teams in college basketball is lurking as a potential surprise player in the mix for the Final Four. 

NCAA Tournament Bracket

Final Four Predictions

Gonzaga, Kentucky, Arizona, Iowa

Gonzaga has a tough road to its second straight national championship.

However, it should be able to navigate the top part of the West bracket to get into the Elite Eight, where a potential rematch with the Duke Blue Devils awaits. Duke beat Gonzaga in the regular season. 

Mike Krzyzewski's team faces a rough path of its own with some tricky matchups ahead in the second and third rounds. 

Duke should have enough offensive firepower to get past a tough Texas Tech defense. Alabama is a bit too inconsistent to trust in that situation. 

Gonzaga and Duke will likely play in a close contest. That potential regional final could be a showcase of the top two picks in the 2022 NBA draft. Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero are surefire locks to be lottery selections. 

Gonzaga's NCAA tournament experience combined with its advantages down low with Holmgren and Drew Timme should be enough to power it into the Final Four. 

Kentucky has a comfortable path in front of it in the East Region. The Wildcats' all-around game could be too much for the Texas Longhorns, Purdue Boilermakers or Murray State Racers to deal with. 

Oscar Tshiebwe would face a challenge against Purdue's Zach Edey in the Sweet 16. They could cancel each other out and then let the depth take over. 

Look for Kellan Grady, a Davidson transfer, to be Kentucky's X-factor when Tshiebwe, TyTy Washington and others are locked in tough individual matchups. 

If Kentucky faces Baylor in the Elite Eight, the injury to Bears center Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua will hurt the Bears defending the National Player of the Year candidate in the paint. 

Arizona's edge in the paint with Christian Koloko could be the difference-maker to get the Wildcats into the Final Four if chalk holds in the South Region.

Villanova's one major weakness is the lack of a dominant post player, and Koloko could exploit that matchup to put Arizona into the Final Four. 

Arizona will be better if Kerr Kriisa is out on the floor. Kriisa missed the final two games of the Pac-12 tournament because of an ankle injury. If he is healthy, Arizona will have another strong three-point shooter on the floor. 

The Midwest Region has the potential for the most chaos with the Iowa Hawkeyes lurking as the No. 5 seed. 

Iowa won the Big Ten tournament Sunday, and it has one of the most dynamic players in the country in Keegan Murray. 

Additionally, the Hawkeyes have experienced depth with Jordan Bohannon and Connor McCaffery on the floor. 

Iowa's combination of experience and a top scorer in college basketball could propel it to a Final Four berth in a region with top seeds that have displayed flaws. 

The Kansas Jayhawks won the Big 12 tournament, but before they entered Kansas City, they dealt with some struggles at the end of the regular season. 

The Auburn Tigers have been average at best away from home in the last month. That trend continued with an opening-game defeat in the SEC tournament. 

Iowa may be hot enough at the right time to land a spot in New Orleans alongside a pair of No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed.