It seems like it was just yesterday that 68 teams were heading into the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and now there are only four remaining: North Carolina, Syracuse, Villanova and Oklahoma. Of the four #1 seeds that started the tournament atop each bracket, only North Carolina remains. Villanova and Oklahoma are 2-seeds, while Syracuse is a 10-seed — just the fourth seed in double digits ever to make it to a Final Four. Given that Syracuse finished in 10th place in the ACC after the regular season and almost discarded into the NIT, their story is the most amazing right now. So what should your Final Four betting picks be in these games?
Final Four Free Betting Picks
Syracuse (+9) vs North Carolina
People kept talking about how Virginia was going to dominate the ACC in the regular season once again and then finally put together an impressive showing in March Madness. But who won the regular season and tournament titles in the ACC? That’s right — North Carolina, a team that was disrespected. To be sure, they showed some inconsistency by losing at home to Duke (and blowing a huge lead late to do it) as well as to Notre Dame. I’ll be honest — I’ve been picking against them since the second round, and they keep winning. They have won all four of their tournament games by double figures, finding the weaknesses in their opponents’ half-court defenses while plucking steals left and right.
The other bench won’t hold the Virginia Cavaliers, like many thought. Instead, the other bench will hold the Syracuse Orange, a storied program that looked like a dumpster fire almost until March Madness themselves. They started out looking good, then lost coach Jim Boeheim to a suspension that the NCAA moved around the calendar just for good measure. The team suffered; Boeheim returned, and they played well; then they became inconsistent once again. You could argue that it was the pedigree that got the Orange into the tournament as much as anything they did on the floor, but that’s all water under the bridge now. The Orange play a sticky 2-3 zone and can also hit the boards and shut down shooters from downtown, almost an impossibility by today’s defensive
My Pick: Syracuse (+9), North Carolina (SU)
Villanova (-2) vs Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NCAA right now, averaging more than 80 points per game. Their defense is a little suspect, but they try to compensate for that by scoring at video-game levels on the offensive end. They are led by Buddy Hield, who averaged 25.4 points per game all season long, tops in the NCAA, and who scored the most points in an Elite Eight game in 26 years when he poured in 37 against the Oregon Ducks. The Sooners’ hope for this matchup is an offensive flood that overwhelms Villanova, much like what happened in December when the Sooners routed Villanova.
Villanova has come a long way since losing in such dramatic fashion to Oklahoma before the turn of the calendar. They are led by Josh Hart and his 15.3 points per game, but he does so much more than score — he rebounds and is the best shutdown defender on the team. He shot almost 60 percent from the floor (inside the arc) this season, and it is his work against opposing guards that sets the tone for the Wildcats’ approach. This is the team that can shut down the Sooners.
My Pick: Villanova (-2), Villanova (SU)
