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March 29, 2022Returning to pre-pandemic hysteria, March Madness was just that with plenty of upsets, a startling run by 15-seed Saint Peters and all the excitement a hoops junkie could ask for. We’re down to the last four standing with updated NCAA college basketball odds being released for the 2022 national champion.
While the first two weekends of the tournament were chaotic, the Final Four has some familiar names battling it out in New Orleans. Between them the Duke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks, Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels have 17 national championships with each program earning at least three titles. It marks the first time in NCAA Tournament history that each Final Four teams enters with multiple titles.
In what might be considered a surprise, the only remaining No 1 seed Kansas is not the college basketball tournament odds favorite to cut down the nets. That distinction goes to the Blue Devils, who have a slight edge over KU in the championship market. Nova and UNC are both north of 40/1. Check out the updated NCAAB odds at SugarHouse sportsbook.
2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Odds
Duke Blue Devils +150
Kansas Jayhawks +160
Villanova Wildcats +425
North Carolina Tar Heels +450
For the first time ever ACC rivals Duke and North Carolina will meet in the tournament. And it couldn’t come in a bigger game. Well, I guess it could if it were for the national championship instead we get the next best thing. Duke is the sentimental favorite with the career of Mike Krzyzewski coming to an end and also the betting favorite to win its sixth national championship. The Dookies are also looking to avenge an ugly loss in the regular season finale spoiling Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
With a loaded roster led by potential top NBA draft pick Paolo Banchero, the Blue Devils were among the tournament favorites on the NCAAB betting odds. After disposing of Texas Tech and Arkansas last weekend they moved to the top of the list. But you can throw all the records and stats out the window when the Tobacoo Road rivals meet up.
UNC is playing at a high level entering this matchup blasting through one of the toughest brackets to reach the Final Four. They overcame a furious rally to beat defending champ and No. 1 seed Baylor in the second round and knocked off No. 4 seed UCLA in the Sweet 16. They also crushed the hearts of every underdog lover by spanking Saint Peters in the Elite Eight. Dating back to the regular season the Heels have won 10 of their past 11 games with nine wins against the college basketball odds and lines.
Villanova likely would have had shorter odds if not for the unfortunate injury to starting guard Justin Moore. Second on the team in scoring and assists, and third in rebounding, his loss is huge for a team that doesn’t have a lot of depth. The Wildcats will have to play similar to their win over Houston when they grinded out a 50-44 victory.
The road to the national championship game opened up for Kansas, the Jayhawks still need to take advantage. And it isn’t going to be that easy. Nova has plenty of talent and like they showed against Houston they can slow things down and win in a variety of ways. But the betting odds on college basketball have the Jayhawks as a 4.5-point favorite in the semifinal matchup.
With all the storylines among the other teams, Kansas is quietly going about its business. The Jayhawks look to be the most complete team in the Final Four with Remy Martin averaging nearly 17 points in the tournament and Ochai Agbaji doing damage in the block. KU blew out Miami 47-15 in the second half to reach the Final Four, extending its overall winning streak to nine. The Jayhawks have plenty of firepower and they can play defense, too. They look like a good pick to win it all for the fourth time and first since 2008.