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Armando Bacot (C) and North Carolina face Duke in the Final Four at 8:49 p.m. EDT Saturday on TBS. Photo by Maggie Hobson/UNC Athletics
April 1 (UPI) — Two strong matchups launch the men’s Final Four on Saturday in New Orleans. No. 2 Villanova faces No. 1 Kansas in the first meeting. No. 8 North Carolina then takes on No. 2 Duke in a high-stakes rivalry.
Villanova and Kansas tip off at 6:09 p.m. EDT on TBS. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils follow on the same network.
“These guys have stayed focused, eliminated distractions all year long and play for each other,” Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters Sunday. “When we play the way I think we are capable of playing, I have total faith we can play very well.”
Duke is a slight favorite to beat North Carolina. Kansas is expected to edge Villanova in the first National Semifinal game.
“The job is not finished,” Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr. said. “We want to hang one more [championship] banner.”
The two Final Four winners advance to the 2022 NCAA Division I men’s basketball National Championship game, which airs at 9:20 p.m. Monday on TBS.
“It’s not a hope, it’s not a dream anymore,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “It’s reality. For these guys to have this experience to go to a Final Four brings so much joy to my heart.”
Villanova vs. Kansas
Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels claimed South Region MVP honors and leads the Wildcats into the first Final Four.
The Wildcats (30-7) beat No. 15 Delaware, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 Michigan and No. 5 Houston to reach the Final Four. They averaged the fewest points per game and had the worst field goal percentage this tournament, among the Final Four teams.
Senior guard Collin Gillespie, a Wooden Award finalist, led the Wildcats with 15.6 points per game in the regular season. Junior guard Justin Moore averaged the second-most points (14.8), but won’t play due to the torn Achilles he sustained in the Elite Eight.
Senior guard Remy Martin, the Midwest Region MVP, will lead the Jayhawks against the Wildcats. Martin averaged 14.2 points per game though his first four contests this tournament. He averaged 8.6 points per game in the regular season, the fourth-highest total on the team.
Senior guard Ochai Agbaji, a Wooden Award finalist, led the Jayhawks with 18.8 points per game in the regular season. Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson and David McCormack are among the Jayhawks’ other top scorers.
The Jayhawks (32-6) beat No. 16 Texas Southern, No. 9 Creighton, No. 4 Providence and No. 10 Miami to reach the Final Four.
Duke vs. North Carolina
Duke was among the preseason favorites to win the national title. The Blue Devils (32-6) are led by West Region MVP Paolo Banchero. The freshman forward and Wooden Award finalist averaged 18.5 points through his first four tournament games.
The Blue Devils averaged 79.8 points per game through the Elite 8, the eighth-highest total. The Tar Heels averaged 82.5 points per game, the fourth-highest total.
Junior forward Wendell Moore Jr., sophomore center Mark Williams, freshman guard Trevor Keels and freshman forward A.J. Griffin are among the Blue Devils other top scorers.
The Blue Devils made a tournament-best 53.8% of their shots and shot 39.1% from 3-point range. They also averaged the fourth-most blocks per game.
They beat No. 15 Cal State Fullerton, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 4 Arkansas en route to New Orleans.
The Tar Heels (28-9) beat No. 9 Marquette, No. 1 Baylor, No. 4 UCLA and No. 15 Saint Peter’s in their first four tournament games.
Junior forward/center Armando Bacot claimed East Region MVP honors for the Tar Heels. He averaged 16.5 points and 15.7 rebounds per game through his first four tournament appearances.
Senior forward Brady Manek and sophomore guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis are among the Tar Heels’ other top players.
The Tar Heels averaged the second-most rebounds and third-most assists per game in the tournament.
North Carolina leads Duke 142-115 in the historic rivalry. This is the first time they will meet in the NCAA tournament.
