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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: Brady Manek #45 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 05, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Jared C. Tilton / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The Final Four is set for this weekend and our March Madness experts offer up their bold predictions in search of some added profits.

Saturday's Final Four contests feature some of college basketball's biggest programs. Villanova meets with Kansas to get the day's action started before turning things over to the storied rivalry between North Carolina and Duke.

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Below, our March Madness experts offer up their top bold predictions for the Final Four. Picks made by Brenden Schaeffer, Henry John, Jon Metler, Mike Spector, and Mike Randle (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook).

March Madness Final Four Bold Predictions

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SEE ALSO: March Madness Final Four Expert Picks

Top March Madness Final Four Predictions

Villanova to win the National Championship (+450)

You know you have a pretty chalky Final Four when Villanova, a No. 2 seed entering March Madness, is considered a longshot to win the national title at this point in the proceedings. That's exactly where we are, though, at least from a blue-blood perspective.

Though I wouldn't consider Duke the metrically-inclined favorite to win it all, you're going to find the Blue Devils with the shortest odds of the four remaining teams due to the public propensity to bet on Coach K in his final year. For me, though, the value lies with head coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats. Though Villanova stands as a 4.5-point underdog against Kansas in the semifinal, that feels like far too many points considering the dead-even nature of the two teams according to KenPom.

SEE ALSO: March Madness Top Picks and Odds

Offensively and defensively, Villanova stacks up pretty well toe-to-toe against Kansas. The Wildcats also have a measured, disciplined tempo that should allow them to handle the peaks and valleys of a game against Kansas' superior athletes without losing their cool.

SEE ALSO: Villanova vs. Kansas Picks

I like the Wildcats to take the Jayhawks down to the final possession, and whichever team comes away with the win in that semifinal would have my money against whichever team emerges from the first-ever installment of the Tobacco Road rivalry to be played in the NCAA Tournament. The hangover factor for that ACC team is going to be real. Villanova has the defensive intensity to match up well with any of the remaining teams.

I like the value of the Wildcats at +450 to win it all. - Schaeffer

Kansas -4.5 + Duke -4 = +264

At the risk of being criticized for saying the two favorites in the Final Four are my bold prediction, we're going through with this ATS parlay anyway. Bettors can combine a wager on Kansas -4.5 with Duke -4 at DraftKings into a two-leg parlay ticket. Payout odds sit at a healthy +264.

Starting with the first semifinal game, Kansas simply has too much talent and depth for Villanova to handle. A short Wildcats rotation is now even thinner after veteran guard Justin Moore tore his Achilles in the Elite Eight. Few coaches are as tactically sound as Villanova's Jay Wright, but trying to win a national semifinal with what is essentially a five-man rotation is a daunting task.

That task becomes even more difficult when one considers the experienced and deep Jayhawks squad on the other side. Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, and Remy Martin comprise a nasty backcourt, and Kansas also figures to have a size and physicality advantage in the post. David McCormack and Jalen Wilson combine to present a troublesome matchup for a guard-dominated Villanova team.

As far as the second Final Four game is concerned, Duke's loss to North Carolina in the regular-season finale could be a major boost for the Blue Devils on Saturday. They have looked like a team on a mission throughout their NCAA Tournament run. The opportunity to send Mike Krzyzewski out as a winner looms large.

What a lot of people seem to have forgotten is that Duke was a national title favorite early in the season thanks to the swaths of talent on this team. Paolo Banchero leads a roster filled with potential NBA talent. After failing to offer any sort of resistance to a very strong Tar Heels offense at home, bettors can expect Duke to ratchet up the defensive intensity in this Final Four rubber match. - John

SEE ALSO: Final Four Prop Bets

Brady Manek to win Most Outstanding Player (+2000)

In my bold prediction prior to the Sweet 16, I backed the Tar Heels to make the Final Four at a price of +390. I was able to cash my last bold prediction, so it only seems fitting to go back to the well with the Tar Heels for another bold prediction in advance of the Final Four.

UNC forward Brady Manek has become the heart and soul of his team, a fact that was further amplified when he was ejected from the Baylor game. North Carolina led by 25 points at the time Manek left the game, but after his ejection, Baylor went on a 38-to-13 run to force overtime. In the end, North Carolina won; however, the ejection may actually work to Manek's advantage when it comes to voting for Most Outstanding Player. The run that Baylor went on after Manek was ejected demonstrated how valuable he is to this team and will also remain in the back of the voters' minds when determining who will be the North Carolina MVP if the Tar Heels win the National Championship.

SEE ALSO: North Carolina vs. Duke Picks

Even though the voters awarded Armando Bacot Jr., the East Regional MVP, I will continue to support Manek for the Most Outstanding Player award in the Final Four. I prefer Manek to Bacot, as Bacot will face a more difficult opponent than Manek against Duke. Bacot will be up against the ACC defensive player of the year in Mark Williams.

Another reason I favor Manek for this award is his previous performance against Duke this season. On the year, he has averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds through two games against Duke. Manek has performed well against some of the best defensive units North Carolina has faced this season. He scored 24 points against Tennessee and 26 against Baylor.

DraftKings has the highest price on Manek at +2000. At FanDuel Sportsbook, he is slightly shorter at +1700. - Metler

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Caleb Daniels will be Villanova's leading scorer

Usually Villanova's sixth man, Caleb Daniels will be forced into the starting lineup now that guard Justin Moore is out. However, Wright has used Daniels like a starter of late, as he has played at least 30 minutes in each of the last seven games. More than that, when opposing defenses have clamped down on Moore and guard Collin Gillespie, Wright has trusted his senior guard to win his one-on-one matchups, as Daniels is often guarded by one of the opponent’s weaker perimeter defenders. Daniels has responded by scoring in double figures in three of Villanova's four NCAA Tournament games. He will be counted upon for much more offense in Moore's absence.

Gillespie has struggled from the floor over the last three games, as he was the focal point of Ohio State's, Michigan's, and Houston's defense. Gillespie went 6-for-23 from 3-point range in those games, and it is fair to wonder if a knee injury he suffered late in the win against Michigan bothered him in the win over Houston.

Kansas head coach Bill Self is likely to use a taller defender like Braun to defend Gillespie, especially since Wright often likes to post his point guard up. That means Daniels is expected to see more of the 6-foot-0 Martin, and the 6-foot-4 Daniels will have no problem getting his shot off against a smaller defender.

Whatever the line is, we are playing Daniels' Over on his total points, and he is a great bet to lead the Wildcats in scoring on Saturday. If there are sportsbooks offering bigger payouts on other props like Daniels to score 20-plus points, he might be worth a flier on that bet as well. - Spector

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Ochai Agbaji Under 16.5 points + Brady Manek Under 16.5 points = +243

Ochai Agbaji was the Big 12 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, but I'm backing his Under in total points against Villanova. Agbaji hit his Under in each of the first three NCAA Tournament games and beat his total against Providence only with a late 3-pointer less than one minute before he was removed from the game. 

Kansas develops leading scorers that defer in critical situations and are unlikely to take over a game from a scoring perspective. Agbaji has been kept under this number in four of his last five games, and six of his last 10. Villanova plays at one of the slowest paces in the country, ranking 345th out of 352nd in adjusted tempo per KenPom.

Facing a superior defensive team in Villanova, this all equates to an Under for the dynamic 6-foot-5 senior. 

The juice on the second line of our player prop parlay actually favors an Over for Manek, which we welcome in UNC's battle with archrival Duke. The 6-foot-9 Oklahoma transfer has been scalding hot from deep, making three or more 3-pointers in seven of the Tar Heels' last eight games. That includes 20 points and five three-pointers in the comeback win at Duke. 

I project this game to be very different, with the Blue Devils unlikely to allow Manek to find as many opportunities in a critical Final Four matchup. Duke ranked first in the ACC in 3-point percentage allowed, holding conference opponents to 29.2% from beyond the arc.  - Randle

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