College Basketball Final 4 Predictions

Posted by Eric Williams on Monday,March 28, 2016 8:15, EDT in

We are three games away from knowing who will be the 2015-2016 College Basketball National Champion. Three of your No. 1 seeds—Kansas, Oregon and Virginia—won’t be among the teams contending for that coveted trophy, thanks to some crazy upsets in the Elite 8 over the weekend. It’s now down to No. 1-seed North Carolina, No. 2 seeds Villanova and Oklahoma, and Final Four’s biggest surprise package Syracuse to fight for a slot in the National Championship game. Can the theme of upsets in the NCAAB online betting odds continue when these four teams take to the court on Saturday, April 2nd; or will the favorites stand tallest in the Final Four March Madness picks? Check out our early breakdown of the Final Four and what can be expected from the participating teams.

College Basketball Final 4 Predictions

North Carolina vs Syracuse NCAAB Odds Analysis

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
When: Saturday, April 2, 8:49 PM ET
TV Broadcast: TBS
NCAAB Lines: North Carolina (-9), OVER/UNDER 146

Why North Carolina Will Beat Syracuse

Led by senior leaders Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, and one of the best coaches in the nation coach Roy Williams; the Tar Heels are playing at a real high level right now, a key reason why they were the lone No. 1 seed team to make it past the Elite 8. In fact, of all the teams in the Final Four, the Tar Heels own the shortest odds to make it to the Final and win it all. Boosting their chances of claiming a win is the fact that Paige and Johnson are enjoying a strong offensive form, supported ably by Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson, with the Tar Heels scoring 89.3 points per game so far in the Tournament. Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s D has equally been on-point, as was showcased when UNC made that 24-0 run against Notre Dame in the Elite 8 while keeping the Irish scoreless for a span of 14 possessions. If this balanced North Carolina team shows up, it won’t be easy to upset the Tar Heels.

Why Syracuse Will Beat North Carolina

Did any of you see this coming? Against all odds, the Orange have scripted one of the most improbable runs in the NCAA Tournament and are now playing for chance to win it all in the Finals. And after downing two of the strongest teams with a long-standing history of success in the Big Dance in Gonzaga and Virginia, we don’t need to tell you twice that the Orange have a very realistic shot at upsetting UNC in a similar way. I mean, Syracuse’s full-court pressure is the real deal and their signature 2-3 zone has perfected the art of frustrating opposing shooters and forcing turnovers (see the 13 forced turnovers that led to 15 points against UVA for referenc). Meanwhile, Syracuse’s star senior guard Michael Gbinije (17.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 4.3 APG) is making all the right noises in the Big Dance,fellow senior Trevor Cooney has proven that he can light it up from downtown, and the freshman duo of Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon aren’t scared of stepping up with big clutch shots. Add the strong momentum and motivation of beating four good teams so far in the tournament (despite being installed as underdogs in all the four games), you find all the ingredients needed for the Orange to get the job done against UNC and beyond.

Expert NCAAB Picks: North Carolina Beats Syracuse, 77-69.

Villanova vs Oklahoma NCAAB Odds Analysis

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
When: Saturday, April 2, 6:09 PM ET
TV Broadcast: TBS
NCAAB Lines: Villanova (-2), OVER/UNDER 146

Why Oklahoma Will Beat Villanova

Oklahoma’s scoring maestro Buddy Hield, who is averaging a ridiculous 29.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in his last four games, is freaking monster with the ball. You need to sample his brilliance, look no further than his game-high 37 points (including 8-of-13 shooting from downtown) against Oregon. As long as Hield is firing hot, don’t expect OU to slow down its quest for a spot in the Final. After all, Hield has plenty of support in the Oklahoma team that ranks second-best in the country in three-point shooting (42.8%) and is averaging over 80 PPG scoring in the Tourney so far. Oh, and Oklahoma already beat Villanova by 23 points when the two teams met on December 7th in Honolulu.

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Why Villanova Will Beat Oklahoma

The Sooners may have handed Nova a beatdown in December, but the Wildcats are an entirely different team from the one that played back then. Villanova’s offense is playing better, as affirmed by their win margin of 27 points per game through their first three games of the Tournament, followed by a clutch performance in the 64-59 win over t the No. 1 overall seed Kansas in the South Regional final over the weekend. And unlike Oklahoma that largely relies on Hield, the Wildcats have a balanced offense that has seen four players score in double figures in each of their four tournament games. On the other side of the ball, Villanova’s defense is just as impressive; no wonder the Wildcats haven’t allowed 70 points so far in the Big Dance. In addition, this defense has forced all four opponents to double digit turnovers. And after forcing 14 Oklahoma turnovers in their regular season meeting in December, you can’t help but feel that the veteran-laden Villanova unit will be faring better against Oklahoma, especially after their master-class performance against a much better Kansas team that ranked as the best team in the Tournament on paper.

Expert NCAAB Picks: Villanova Holds on For a Narrow 75-72 win over Oklahoma