by Ben Perks
Vegas oddsmakers have made the Duke Blue Devils the new tournament favorites before the Final Four games. However, the Kansas Jayhawks – the only No. 1 seed remaining in the NCAA tourney – are close behind in the sportsbook standings.
Get pregame info and the latest March Madness odds for the last four teams.
The Final Four Is Here
Online sportsbooks briefly had Kansas as the March Madness favorite, but Duke’s Elite Eight 78-69 victory against Arkansas saw them rise to the top of the odds board. The Blue Devils will now face the UNC Tar Heels, who stopped Saint Peter’s Cinderella run, in their next game. In the other Final Four matchup, the Jayhawks take on Villanova after beating the Miami Hurricanes 76-50.
Duke Blue Devils
The Mike Krzyzewski farewell tour continues after the Blue Devils beat surprise package No. 4 Arkansas 78-69 in the Elite Eight on Sunday. Coach K will now be hoping his 13th Final Four appearance will end victorious against the North Carolina Tar Heels – a team they’ve never faced before in the men’s NCAA Tournament.
After being considered a top contender by Vegas oddsmakers for much of the tournament, Duke has now taken the top spot on the odds board.
Following a crushing 82-67 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament title, sophomores Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams and freshman phenoms AJ Griffin and Paolo Banchero have dusted themselves off to turn Duke into an offensive powerhouse – excellently demonstrated in the wins Against Texas Tech and Arkansas.
Although North Carolina ruined the party in Coach K’s final home game by beating Duke 94-81, Duke’s players now have a great shot at giving the legend a storybook ending to his time with the Blue Devils.
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas became the tournament favorite after Gonzaga and Arizona’s shocking early exits from March Madness. But Duke’s dominant Elite Eight win over Arkansas has led bookmakers to place the Jayhawks in second before the Final Four round.
The Jayhawks showed their quality in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in their 83-56 destruction of Texas Southern. They followed this with a 7-point win over Creighton with 20 points and seven rebounds from Arizona State transfer Remy Martin and a 66-61 victory over Providence in the Sweet 16 before destroying Miami 76-50.
With Ochai Agbaji – one of the favorites to win March Madness MVP – and Arizona State transfer Remy Martin, the Jayhawks are solid in the backcourt. Also, they have proven that they can dismantle teams at will. Therefore, expect Kansas to blow away the Wildcats to make it to the NCAA Championship game.
Villanova Wildcats
On Saturday night, the Villanova Wildcats ended Houston’s run with a hard-fought 50-44 win. Senior swingman Jermaine Samuels’ 16 points and 10 rebounds helped the Wildcats overcome a cold shooting night from their stud backcourt to reach the Final Four.
As the Wildcats shoot 83% from the free-throw line and commit just 9.9 turnovers per game, they will put up a fight in the Final Four. However, because starting shooting guard Justin Moore left the Houston game injured and that reserve guard Jordan Longino is out, other players will have to step up if they want to reach the Championship game.
North Carolina Tar Heels
As UNC smashed through teams on one of the most challenging paths to the Elite Eight – including toppling No. 1 seed Baylor – the Tar Heels are riding high on confidence despite being the tournament underdogs at this stage.
The team’s Sweet 16 tilt was a 73-66 win over four-seed UCLA, behind a 30-point explosion from Caleb Love. Yet on Sunday, Armando Bacot hogged the spotlight with 20-points and 22-rebounds to end the Peacocks’ impressive run.
The Tar Heels have the talent and pedigree to cause most teams problems. Therefore, they could easily spoil Coach K’s farewell.
View betting lines for all Final Four games.
Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
