Who will win the blueblooded Final Four?
The 2022 Men's Basketball Final Four offers four shades of that blue blood with some power-house programs on their way to New Orleans.
No. 1 Kansas (32-6) and No. 2 Villanova (30-7) meet in the first semifinal at the Caesars Superdome. Tip off is scheduled for 6:09 p.m. ET. The Jayhawks are making their fourth Final Four appearance under coach Bill Self, who led the program to its last national championship in 2008. The Wildcats also are making their fourth Final Four appearance under Jay Wright, and the program can win its fourth national championship and third since 2016.
That is the appetizer for a tournament matchup for the ages -- No. 2 Duke (32-6) and No. 8 North Carolina (28-9). Tip off is scheduled for approximately 8:49 p.m. ET. These programs that have combined for 11 national championships take their long-standing rivalry to the NCAA tournament for the first time. Hubert Davis led the Tar Heels to the Final Four in his first season, and now he has the chance to end Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's farewell tour.
Which two teams will advance to Monday's national championship game? SN takes a closer look:
Final Four odds 2022
Below are the opening March Madness odds for the Final Four, including point spreads, money lines and over-under totals for each game according to Sports Interaction:
| Game | Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under |
| KU vs. Nova | KU -4.5 | KU -195, Nova +165 | 132.5 |
| Duke vs. UNC | Duke -4 | Duke -190, UNC +160 | 151 |
Final Four picks, predictions
No. 1 Kansas (-4.5) vs. No. 2 Villanova
Saturday, 6:09 p.m., TBS
Both teams have won nine straight games and are 6-3 ATS in that stretch. It's an even matchup with a catch.
How does Villanova respond to losing Justin Moore, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the final minute of the Elite Eight matchup with Houston. Moore averaged 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and the Wildcats were playing a six-man rotation. That means seniors Collin Gillespie (15.6 ppg.) and Jermaine Samuels (11.1 ppg.) will need to knock down their 3-pointers.
The scoring matchup between Samuels, who has shot 51% from the floor during the tournament, and Kansas All-American Ochai Agbaji, who averages 18.9 points but has struggled shooting during the tournament, will be a huge storyline.
There also is the battle in the front court. Kansas' front line of Jalen Wilson (11.0 ppg.) and David McCormack (10.1 ppg.) match up well with Villanova's Eric Dixon (9.1 ppg.) and Brandon Slater (8.3 ppg.). The Jayhawks are the better team on the boards, and Christian Braun (14.3 ppg.) is a huge reason why with 6.5 boards per game.
Villanova can win this game, especially if it becomes a free-throw contest. The Wildcats are shooting 90% from the line, while the Jayhawks are at 67%. Villanova also is 5-3 S/U against Kansas in head-to-head matchups between Wright and Self.
You can't ignore those trends, but the difference will be Kansas' defense in crunch time. If those 3's aren't falling, Villanova will be stressed to score in spots without Moore, and it's on New Orleans native Caleb Daniels to fill that void. Kansas has been connected throughout the season, if not overlooked somehow. Keep this magic number in mind: Kansas is 3-1 against Villanova in those matchups when it hits 70 points.
Final score: Kansas 74, Villanova 69
MORE: KU-Nova betting preview
No. 2 Duke (-4) vs. No. 8 North Carolina
Saturday, 8:49 p.m., CBS
This marks Krzyzewski's 13th Final Four appearance, and the Blue Devils are 9-3 S/U in those games. The Tar Heels are 9-1 S/U and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games, and the over looks like another strong play given the teams cleared that in the two regular-season meetings.
As for the game? The matchups are amazing.
Duke forward Paolo Banchero (17.1 ppg) is averaging 18.5 points and 50.9% from the floor in the tournament, but his counterpart, Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek (15.2 ppg) averaged 20.5 points and hit 11 of 20 from 3-point range against the Blue Devils in two meetings.
Armando Bacot (16.5 ppg) and Mark Williams (11.3 ppg) have been outstanding in the tournament on the block, and Bacot was the star of North Carolina's victory in the regular-season finale at Duke. Point guards Leaky Black (4.9 ppg) and Jeremy Roach (8.6 ppg) have elevated their play in the tournament.
Tar Heels guards Caleb Love (15.7 ppg) and RJ Davis (13.4 ppg) are just as likely to play the role of hero as Duke's Wendell Moore (13.5 ppg) or AJ Griffin (10.5 ppg).
The ACC rivals traded blowouts in the regular season, and this game is about which team can weather the momentum swings, which will be larger than ever in the Superdome. The stars will shine on both sides, but in this game, it's Banchero who delivers down the stretch with a young Duke team that has learned how to close with its defense in tournament victories against Michigan State, Texas Tech and Arkansas. Griffin or Moore will deliver the dagger that puts the game away.
MORE: Duke-UNC betting preview
The Coach K farewell tour schedules one more stop in the national championship game.
Final score: Duke 86, North Carolina 80
COACH K'S FINAL SEASON:
Chapter 1: Ending the era
Chapter 2: Inside the greatest game
Chapter 3: Getting recruited by the legend
Chapter 4: Redeeming USA Basketball
Chapter 5: Coaching against K
