Final Four 2022: Schedule, Odds, Predictions for NCAA Tournament Semifinals

The Final Four is set for the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament following a pair of blowouts Sunday.

No. 8 North Carolina ended the historic run of No. 15 Saint Peter's with a decisive 69-49 victory in the final Elite Eight contest. No. 1 Kansas, the lone top seed remaining, beat No. 10 Miami (Florida) 76-50 earlier in the day.

In the national semifinals, the Tar Heels will face No. 2 Duke, which took down No. 4 Arkansas 78-69 in the Elite Eight. It may be hard to believe, but this will be the first meeting between the bitter rivals in NCAA tournament history. North Carolina will look to play spoiler, as the Blue Devils are two wins away from delivering head coach Mike Krzyzewski a national championship in his final season at the helm.

Meanwhile, Kansas will take on No. 2 Villanova, who beat No. 5 Houston 50-44 on Saturday. The two teams faced off in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA tournament, a game the Wildcats won by 16 points.

Here's a look at the schedule, odds and picks for the Final Four, as well as a quick rundown of how each team booked its ticket to New Orleans.

Schedule, Odds and Predictions

No. 1 Kansas (-3.5) over No. 2 Villanova: Saturday, April 2 at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS

No. 8 North Carolina over No. 2 Duke (-4): Saturday, April 2 at 8:49 p.m. ET on TBS

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

     
How They Got Here

Duke

The Blue Devils have put together an excellent tournament run and are looking to deliver Coach K his sixth national championship.

Duke handily defeated Cal State Fullerton 78-61 in the first round. They followed it up with single-digit wins over Michigan State, Texas Tech and Arkansas. All three of those teams looked like they might have what it takes to pull off an upset, but the Blue Devils remained confident in the big moments. 

Paolo Banchero, a likely top-five pick in this year's NBA draft, has been exceptional all tournament long. He's led the team in scoring three times and is averaging 18.5 points per game in the NCAA tournament. He's not doing it alone, as the Blue Devils have seen all five starters score in double figures in three out of four games. The team as a whole is shooting above 50 percent from the field in the tournament.

On the defensive end, the Blue Devils' height and length have made life difficult for opponents at times. Mark Williams is the prime example, as he's averaging four blocks per game in the tournament.

With Banchero, Williams, Wendell Moore Jr. and A.J. Griffin all complementing each others skill sets and taking turns making big plays, Duke is well positioned to send off Coach K in storybook fashion in New Orleans.

North Carolina

As the lowest seed in the Final Four, North Carolina is your new underdog to watch. After taking some lumps during the regular season, first-year head coach Hubert Davis has his talented squad rounding into form at just the right time.

The Tar Heels started off the tournament with quite the warning shot, beating Marquette 95-63 in the typically tough No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup. Brady Manek and Caleb Love combined for 51 points.

The offense was again humming in a 93-86 overtime win over No. 1 Baylor in the second round. R.J. Davis exploded for 30 points, while Manek added 26 of his own. Armando Bacot, a double-double machine, had 15 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.

The Tar Heels slowed down in the Sweet 16 but managed to beat UCLA 73-66. They then found themselves facing off against Saint Peter's, the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight. They solved the Peacocks feisty defense while stonewalling them on the other end, racking up a 38-19 lead by halftime. Bacot was unstoppable against his undersized opponents, finishing with 20 points, 22 rebounds and two blocks. 

North Carolina seems to have all the ingredients to take care of the other blue bloods in the Final Four. Bacot is dominant on the glass, while Davis and Leaky Black play great perimeter defense. Manek and Love, for the most part, have been efficient on offense. North Carolina already spoiled Krzyzewski's final home game. They just might be able to make Saturday his final game, period.

Kansas

This is Kansas' 16th Final Four appearance in program history and first since 2018. The Jayhawks have had a couple of rough patches in this tournament, but for the most part, they've looked like a strong contender.

After demolishing Texas Southern 83-56 in the first round, the Jayhawks had to survive a couple of close calls in the next two rounds. Creighton looked like it might pull off a shocker when a KeyShawn Feazell lay-up brought the team within one in the final two minutes, but Kansas kept the Bluejays from scoring again and held on for a 79-72 win.

In the Sweet 16 against Providence, the Jayhawks were suffocating, holding the Friars to 17 points in the first half. The second half opened up quite a bit, with Providence slowly chipping away at the lead. The game was tied at a couple of points, but the Friars never could move ahead, and Kansas held on to win 66-61.

Tenth-seeded Miami looked prime for an upset in the Elite Eight, building up a 35-29 advantage at halftime. The second half was all Kansas, however, as the Jayhawks outscored the Hurricanes 47-15 over the final 20 minutes en route to a comfortable win. They forced 14 turnovers in the game, which led to plenty of transition buckets.

Remy Martin led Kansas in scoring in the first three rounds, tallying a combined 58 points. He was held to just nine points against Miami, but it didn't matter. Ochai Agbaji, who had been having a quiet tournament, came alive with 18 points, and David McCormack chipped in with 15 points. Head coach Bill Self had his squad peaking in the second half against Miami, a good sign heading into the Final Four.

Villanova

Head coach Jay Wright is making trips to the Final Four a habit. He might be doing the same with national titles.

The Wildcats reached the national semifinals in 2016 and 2018, and went on to win the championship both times. They're back for more in 2022, with as good a chance as any team of hoisting the trophy on April 4 at the Caesars Superdome.

Villanova hasn't supplied much in the way of drama this tournament. They started off with a 20-point win over Delaware, then beat Ohio State 71-61 in the second round.

In the Sweet 16, Villanova drew Michigan, and again controlled the pace and scoring in a 63-55 victory. Jermaine Samuels had a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, while guards Justin Moore and Collin Gillespie both scored in double figures.

The Wildcats continued their run with a tense, grind-it-out game against Houston in the Elite Eight. The Cougars were dreadful shooting from distance, going 1-of-20 from beyond the arc. Samuels again paced the team with 16 points, enough to help the Wildcats secure a 50-44 win.

That win over Houston came at a cost. Moore, the team's second-leading scorer with 14.8 points per game, went down with a lower right leg injury in the final minute of the game. On Sunday, the school announced Moore had suffered a tear to his right Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery.

Losing Moore is a major blow to Villanova's chances. The Wildcats will have to continue to play lockdown defense and execute Wright's system if they hope to win the program's fourth national championship.

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