The stadium for the 2022 Final Four has been designated and only a No. 1 seed will make the trip to New Orleans. But there will be plenty of college basketball rights to be represented when action kicks off next Saturday by the Caesars Superdome as Kansas, Villanova, Duke and North Carolina compete for the national title. First on Saturday will be the fight between the No. 1 Jayhawks seed and the No. 2 Wildcats seed at 6:09 p.m. on TBS. Then, after the conclusion, the No. 2 Duke seed will face the No. 8 seed in North Carolina. With Duke legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski aiming for his sixth national title before retiring at the end of the season, the Blue Devils are a big story. Despite being more dependent on freshmen than any of the other teams, Duke plays the best basketball of the season, which gives Coach K a great chance to get to the top. First, however, the Blue Devils will have to beat the Tar Heels after their biggest opponent defeated them 94-81 in the last home game of Coach K on March 5. The NCAA 2022 tournament has taught us to look forward to the unexpected at this time of year and a Final Four with this combination of teams is sure to offer some drama before a champion is crowned on April 4th. Here is the first look at what lies ahead for the Final Four.
(2) Villanova vs. (1) Kansas
Date: Saturday 2 April Time: 6:09 p.m. Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans Television: TBS | Streaming: March Madness Live
About the Wildcats – Villanova never left the AP Top 25 this season, but the Wildcats dropped to No. 23 in December after a 7-4 start. With defeats to UCLA, Purdue and Baylor during the no-conference game and a lone Marquis’s win over Tennessee, it seemed that these Wildcats might just be good instead of great. But during the second half of the season, coach Jay Wright’s veteran team evolved into a national title contender doing all the little things right. The Wildcats score 83% from the free throw line and make just 9.9 errors per game. These characteristics and suffocating defense were evident in Elite Eight’s 50-44 victory over Houston, in which Villanova shot just 28.8% from the floor, but scored 15 of 15 free throws. The Wildcats are not a deep team and could be particularly weak in the Final Four after shooting guard Justin Moore left the game in Houston with an injury. The main reserve guard Jordan Longino is also out due to injury. But Villanova still has veteran stars Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels. Having won 14 of their last 15 games, the Wildcats will be tough even with a minute rotation. About the Jayhawks – Kansas never left the top 10 during a bouncing season following the relative frustration of a 2020-21 campaign that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks split the Big 12 regular season title with defending champions Baylor and then reached a Big 12 Tournament title to enter the Big Dance with momentum. Victories over Texas Southern, Creighton, Providence and Miami sent KU to the Final Four from the Midwest region as the last No. 1 seed. Kansas trailed Miami 35-29 at halftime in the Elite Eight, but prevailed over the Hurricanes 47-15 in the second half to make a move to New Orleans. With the transfer of Arizona State, Remy Martin starting to take advantage of his potential as a point guard and the senior wing Ochai Agbaji enjoying a renaissance season, the Jayhawks are strong in the backcourt. The cast of their players, led by dynamic forwards Christian Braun and Jalen Wilson, is also deep.
(8) North Carolina vs. (2) Duke
Date: Saturday 2 April Time: 8:49 p.m. Location: Caesars Superdome in New OrleansTV: TBS | Streaming: March Madness Live
About the Tar Heels – When legendary North Carolina coach Roy Williams announced on April 1 last year that he was retiring immediately, it meant that this would be a transitional season for the Tar Heels. In the end, however, the UNC 2021-22 campaign will end in a familiar environment as the program makes its 21st appearance in the Final Four under first coach Hubert Davis. It was not clear until mid-February whether North Carolina would play in the NCAA tournament after losing at home to Pittsburgh on February 16 while in the bubble. However, the UNC recorded five consecutive victories to close the regular season, including a 94-81 victory at Duke on 5 March. The Tar Heels thrive aggressively with a simple spin on stars such as second-year guard Caleb Love, junior center Armando Bacot and graduate transfer striker Brady Manek bring different scoring skills to the table. Davis may have been the first coach to navigate his first season on the program, but after a decade under Williams and a historic career on the court, he made his team play the best basketball at the right time. About the Blue Devils – Duke’s last season under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski began with a big bang as the Blue Devils beat Kentucky in a top-10 match to open the season. After also beating Gonzaga, the Blue Devils briefly climbed to No. 1 and enjoyed a mostly smooth run in ACC play until the end. Then, in the last home game of Coach K, the Blue Devils lost 94-81 to North Carolina and missed the opportunity to eliminate Krzyzewski with a sweep of the regular season of the program’s close enemy. One week later, an 82-67 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament title game sent the Blue Devils to Big Dance without much momentum. But Duke’s youth team has grown exponentially with sophomores Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams playing key roles to praise freshmen AJ Griffin and Paolo Banchero. In victories over Texas Tech and Arkansas during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, Duke performed aggressively. So far in this tournament, Krzyzewski has reached 1,200 career wins, 100 wins in the NCAA Tournament and surpassed UCLA legend John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances as a coach with 13. Now the only question is whether Duke can to give Krzyzewski a sixth national title.
