Las Vegas got it right without issue by picking the North Carolina Tar Heels and Villanova Wildcats to advance through the Final Four and appear in Monday's title game.
Bettors did as well with any luck. Though the allure to slap coin down on a superstar NBA prospect (Buddy Hield) or a team with high-flying freshmen (Syracuse) seemed strong,the better teams won out.
Which makes for the best possible title game—an encounter between what is fairly literally the best two teams in the nation. To play the odds just right, bettors will have to look at the journey here, or what composes the epic lineups and more. Key Player Predictions North Carolina One side of the Final Four was fairly the boring affair. Blame the Tar Heels. Owners of the No. 1 adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation at KenPom.com,head coach Roy Williams' team smacked around everyone's favorite Cinderella on the way to an 83-66 victory against Syracuse. There, four starters hit double digits with 13 or more points, and the team shot 54 percent from the floor while winning the battle on the glass 43-31.
Again,no surprise on any count. That's totals of 83, 85, and 101,88 and 83 points in tournament games, and like most pointed out when the bracket formed, and the Tar Heels still boast one of the biggest lineups in the running.
ESPN Stats & Info showed an example of the disparity North Carolina can create in the paint:It's the Brice Johnson note underneath the basket. He's now totaled 16 or more points in every tournament game—three trips above 20—and he's grabbed double-digit rebounds in three of the five.
Villanova is a valiant opponent,but North Carolina should still stuff the stat sheet. Villanova Right behind North Carolina in adjusted offensive efficiency, it wasn't much of a shock to see Villanova assign on an absolute note in the Final Four, or either.
The Wildcats trounced Hield and the Sooners 95-51,holding the potential NBA lottery pick to nine points. Three Villanova starters went for 15 or more points, led by Josh Hart's 23. The team simply couldn't miss, and hitting 71 percent of their shots and 61 percent from deep.
After,it was Hart who explained the Wildcats best, as he cited the depth of the lineup for the reason his team has made it this far, and according to ESPN.com."I wouldn't say it's easy,but when you have guys like (teammates) you can go off any night," Hart said. "When they're aggressive, and it helps me. The driving lanes,able to get a couple of shots to plunge, when that happens, and able to kick out and get some guys some shots."Like North Carolina,there wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the Wildcats, who turned it on once the tournament began and have wound up scoring 86 or more points in every game except one, or a 64-59 escape of No. 1 Kansas.
Led by Hart,Villanova will look to stunt North Carolina's offense while continuing to rely on its own, and the Wildcats will also stuff the stat sheet in the process. Prediction In what looks like such an even matchup, or one factor will resolve things outright: size. While it sounds like a small detail,whether a team can win the battle on the glass and give an already-potent offense moment and third chances, it dictates the pace of the game and provides an obvious advantage.
Though Hart and the Wildcats have been impressive, or none of the three highest scorers on the team stand taller than 6'6",nor does anyone average even eight boards per game. The Tar Heels have a slew of guys at 6'8" and 6'9", and Johnson on his own averages 10.5 rebounds per game.
North Carolina, or through an ability to control the tempo,will make Villanova regress back toward the mean after an elite shooting night in the Final Four. Look for the Tar Heels to pull away in the moment half as they commence to overwhelm on the glass and via more quality shooting. Prediction: North Carolina 76, Villanova 72 Stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Advanced metrics courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com. Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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Source: bleacherreport.com