Tomorrow night the long-awaited Final Four begins in New Orleans. Number two seed Villanova will face off against number one seed Kansas at 6:09 ET. Following their game, number eight seed UNC will face number two seed, Duke. The winners of these games will advance to the March Madness championship on Monday night.
According to CBS Sports, the lineup is composed heavily of basketball “royalty” and is argued to be one of the “most blue-blood heavy Final Four ever,” according to CBS Sports. North Carolina owns six national titles, Duke has five, and Kansas and Villanova have three.
In anticipation of the games, analysts have turned to a model projection for possible results of the games.
“The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times…The model absolutely crushed its March Madness picks last tournament, beating over 92 percent of all CBS Sports brackets for the second time in three years. The model also nailed a whopping three teams in the Final Four last year,” said CBS Sports.
The program’s success has caused it to be one of the most reliable sources of predictions as it is often just guesswork.
The program has one of its most substantial hits placing Kansas over Villanova.
“The Jayhawks have one of the nation’s top offenses, averaging 78.3 points per game. They haven’t slowed much in March Madness 2022, averaging 76 points through four matchups thus far,” said CBS regarding the SportsLine results. “Villanova’s defense will certainly present a test, but the Wildcats can also contribute on the offensive end. They averaged 71.9 points per game this season and already hit the 70-point plateau twice in the NCAA Tournament 2022.”
The trends from the season make up a total over for Kansas of 6-2. These are strong results from the system, and with its success, many experts agree with it.
However, the game is still anticipated to be good from both sides, and a fun watch for viewers.
“SportsLine’s model calls for seven players to score in double-digital Ochai Abbaji leads Kansas with almost 16 points in the simulations, while Collin Gillespie paces the Wildcats with more than 15. The teams combine for 143 points, clearing the total almost 80 percent of the time,” said CBS Sports
Turning to UNC vs. Duke game, it is a hopeful Cinderella story as UNC is the clear underdog as a number 8 seed facing off against number 2 ranked Duke. The two have a long heated rivalry, so it promises to be an electric game. This is also Duke’s long-term coach Mike Krzyzewski (often referred to as Coach K), heightening the game even more.
The final predictions from Sporting News have a final score of Duke 86, North Carolina 80, so a close game until the end.
“North Carolina will lead at halftime behind continued hot shooting from Love, Davis, and Manek, and it will be tight heading into the last 10 minutes in the second half. That’s when Banchero and Williams will turn the momentum on both sides with Roach running the show. Don’t be surprised if either Griffin or Moore knocks down the dagger late in a game that matchups the hype,” said Sporting News.
These predictions mean that the Krzyzewski farewell tour would make one last stop in the national championship facing Kansas if the SportsLine Projection is correct.
