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March Madness has lived up to its reputation, and only four teams remain in the hunt for the national championship. Get our expert’s predictions and picks for an all blue blood Final Four. 

The biggest Saturday of the college basketball season kicks off in New Orleans this Saturday as the Villanova Wildcats take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the first game of the Final Four. These two teams have met four times in the past five seasons with Villanova winning three times, including a Villanova win over Kansas in the Final Four in 2018 on its way to a national championship. 

Villanova’s celebration after defeating Houston on Saturday to reach the Final Four was tempered by an injury suffered by Justin Moore with just under a minute to play in the game. Moore limped off in what turned out to be a season-ending Achilles injury for the Wildcats’ second leading scorer and assist man.

After a blowout win against an overmatched Texas Southern team in the first round, Kansas seemed almost sluggish in two grinding wins over Creighton and then Providence by a combined 12 points. On Sunday, the Jayhawks again looked sluggish in the first half of its Midwest Region final against upstart Miami. Trailing by six points at the break, the Jayhawks blitzed the Hurricanes in the second half and ran away with it. 

Like Villanova, the Jayhawks will be returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2018 and the 16th time overall, good for fifth all-time. Kansas is flying the flag for the No.1 seeds, and a lack of Moore for Villanova will help the Jayhawks.

Kansas vs Villanova Picks:

Perhaps the most iconic rivalry in college basketball, these two foes have never met at this stage in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels stormed into Cameron for Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game to win 94-81, with the Blue Devils out for vengeance. 

Duke’s youthful lineup has matured at a rapid rate against some of the savviest and experienced programs in college basketball beating Michigan State, Texas Tech and Arkansas to set up this matchup. Paolo Banchero will no doubt enter this year’s NBA draft, and Duke’s coach looks set to go out on a high. 

North Carolina’s arsenal was on display at the end of conference play when it spoiled the confetti drop in Durham for Coach K’s Cameron Indoor swan song, erupting for 94 points and boasting four players with 20 or more tallies. Carolina’s best game of the tournament was no doubt their overtime win over No.1 seed Baylor, but important wins over UCLA and Saint Peter’s are worth noting.

These two programs match up exceedingly close. Both can push the pace in transition but also thrive in a halfcourt set. Both have tall, athletic lineups with plenty of pop in the paint, and while Duke may have the coaching edge, UNC has a deeper and more versatile roster to choose from. 

The Heels are Carolina’s kryptonite, and what a storyline it will be for Hubert Davis if he can spoil Coach K’s goodbye tour. Carolina are the hottest team in the tournament, and long may it continues.

Duke vs North Carolina Picks: