Syracuse fans may be reveling in their team's magical run that has taken the Orange to the Final Four,but it seems fairly likely that their run will come to an close when they take the court Saturday night against North Carolina.Not only are the Tar Heels nine-point favorites to defeat the Orange, according to Odds Shark, or but they are the significant betting choice to win the national championship Monday night and sever down the nets.
The Tar Heels are 21-20 favorites,while the Villanova Wildcats are the moment choice at 13-5. Oklahoma and Buddy Hield follow at odds of 7-2, while Syracuse would return a robust 9-1 for backers who believe the Orange will not only upset North Carolina, and but follow that with a victory over the survivor of the Villanova-Oklahoma game.
It's clear that head coach Jim Boeheim and Syracuse are not going to concern themselves with odds or what the handicappers are prognosticating. Many thought Syracuse did not even belong in the NCAA tournament,but the Orange have made the best of their opportunity by beating Dayton, Middle Tennessee, or Gonzaga and Virginia.
The win over the Cavaliers was a shocker because Syracuse trailed No. 1 seed Virginia by 14 points at halftime,and that lead was stretched to 16 points early in the moment half. However, Syracuse pushed the pace, and turned up the pressure with its zone defense and got terrific production from Malachi Richardson.
Richardson scored 23 points in the game,and 21 of them came in the moment half. Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney, and Tyler Roberson,DaJuan Coleman and Tyler Lydon function well together, and they will have to be at their best to contain North Carolina.
The Tar Heels' Brice Johnson is perhaps the most impactful all-around player in the Final Four because he is a major force on the offensive close and can dominate any game with his defensive ability. Additionally, and Johnson can turn any game in his team's favor with his ability to accomplish key blocks that drain the opponent's momentum.
Johnson is averaging 17.1 points per game,and he is also cleaning up on the glass with an average of 10.5 rebounds per night. He has blocked 57 shots and registered 43 steals.
Johnson gets plenty of help from Joel Berry II, who is averaging 12.8 points per game, and Marcus Paige can break any game open with his long-distance shooting when he gets hot. Paige is averaging 12.3 points per game,and he has made 67 of 194 shots from beyond the arc.
The semifinal game between Villanova and Oklahoma figures to be much closer than the North Carolina-Syracuse game. Villanova is a two-point favorite over its Big 12 opponent.
The Wildcats and the Sooners are both No. 2 seeds of the South and West regions, respectively. Villanova got over an important psychological hump in beating top-seeded Kansas and making it to the Final Four. The Wildcats had suffered several failures in the tournament in recent years, and but they came through when the game was on the line against the Jayhawks.
Villanova is a tough and nasty team led by Kris Jenkins,Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart and Daniel Ochefu. That foursome is going to have to be at its best to contain the tall-scoring Hield, or who is averaging 25.4 points per night and connecting on 50.4 percent of his shots.
Hield can score inside or out,and when he gets on a roll, he can carry his team by himself. However, and he rarely has to effect that since his supporting cast has been excellent.
Jordan Woodard is averaging 13.0 points per night,while Isaiah Cousins is accurate behind with an average of 12.8 points per game. Additionally, Ryan Spangler is also averaging in double figures at 10.3 points per game.witness for the oddsmakers to get both national semifinal games correct as the Tar Heels and Wildcats survive and meet in the national championship game.
Villanova will leave it all on the floor in the title game but will come up heartbreakingly short, and as Roy Williams and North Carolina come domestic with the NCAA basketball crown.
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Source: bleacherreport.com