Villanova vs. Kansas final four betting preview

Villanova vs. Kansas final four betting preview

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

It’s a nice little opening matchup in the Final Four on Saturday from the Alamodome in San Antonio as Cinderella story and No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago takes on No. 3 seed Michigan. Frankly, that’s just the appetizer.

Villanova vs. Kansas final four betting previewWhat many are calling the de facto national championship game is the nightcap as No. 1 Villanova faces No. 1 Kansas, with the Wildcats as 5-point favorites. The Nova/KU winner will be favored Monday (barring injury) in the national title game regardless of the first game’s result.

Since 1985 when the NCAA Tournament first expanded to 64 teams, Villanova and Kansas are the Nos. 55 and 56 top seeds to reach the Final Four. Then 32 of those have reached the championship game and 20 have won it all.

It’s only the third time this decade at least two No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four but also the third time in the past four years. Last year, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 1 Gonzaga were both in the semifinals and faced off in the title game, with the Heels prevailing. In 2015, Duke, Wisconsin and unbeaten Kentucky were all No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. The Badgers upset the Wildcats, but then Wisconsin lost to Duke.

Villanova is looking to become the first school to win two titles in a three-year span since Florida went back-to-back in 2007-08. The Wildcats were a No. 2 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, upset No. 1 overall seed Kansas 64-59 in the Elite Eight, crushed No. 2 Oklahoma by 43 in the Final Four and then beat No. 1 North Carolina on a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the national championship game.

Three players from that Villanova team, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth, are now the Wildcats’ stars. Brunson was Big East Player of the Year, and he and Bridges would be first-round picks in the 2018 NBA draft if they declare.

Kansas is looking for its first trip to the national title game since winning it all in 2008 – at the Alamodome. It’s the fifth time this season the Jayhawks are underdogs, and they are 3-1 straight up and against the spread. They were +3 in the Elite Eight against No. 2 Duke and won 85-81 in overtime.

Some bad news for Jayhawks backers, however. In the past 13 years, KU is the 10th team to win its Elite Eight game in overtime. Seven of the previous nine lost in the Final Four and the other two in the title game.