Once upon a time, college basketball was a player’s game. There was no one-and-done, transfer portal, or name, image, and likeness. Thus, fans and gamblers could name numerous players on the top teams in the country. In today’s game, we live in an opposite world. Only hard-core college basketball aficionados can name players with the Final Four lines. This inability to name players has damaged college basketball’s regular season popularity. But in March Madness, top players come to the forefront. Specifically, the Final Four is where legends are made forever.
2022 March Madness – Final Four
| Date and Time: | Saturday, April 4, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location: | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| TV Coverage: | TBS |
Final Four National Championship odds at SBG
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Duke Blue Devils | +155 |
| Kansas Jayhawks | +185 |
| Villanova Wildcats | +443 |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | +512 |
Top Players in the Final Four
Duke Blue Devils – #5 Paolo Banchero – Forward – Freshman
Freshman forward Paolo Banchero is one of coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final parting gifts. To show, Banchero was named ACC Rookie of the Year, First-Team All-ACC, and a consensus second-team All-American. Banchero is a native of Seattle, Washington, where he grew up and played high school ball at O’Dea. Previously he was a McDonald’s All-American. Banchero proved why he is an online betting asset with a team best 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. In the NCAA Tournament, Banchero scored at least 16 points in each game. In sum, Banchero was a 5-star recruit per Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN.
North Carolina Tar Heels – #5 Armando Bacot – Forward – Junior
Last year Armando Bacot broke out by earning third-team All-ACC honors. This season Bacot was named first-team All-ACC. Bacot played his high school ball at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He was a 5-star recruit as rated by ESPN and 247Sports. So far this season, Bacot is averaging 16.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per contest. Bacot has scored no less than 14 points in his four NCAA Tournament games. Additionally, he had no less than ten rebounds in those four matchups. Bacot scored 20 points with 22 rebounds in North Carolina’s win over Saint Peter’s to clinch the Final Four.
Kansas Jayhawks – #30 Ochai Agbaji – Guard – Senior
Counter to most college basketball stars, Ochai Agbaji was not a highly recruited player. Agbaji played his high school ball for Oak Park in Kansas City, Missouri, and was labeled a 3-star prospect by 237Sports and Rivals. Yet Agbaji was developed by head coach Bill Self into a first-team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year this season. Additionally, Agbaji was named first-team All-Big 12. Agbaji leads KU with 19.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. Agbaji scored 18 points with five rebounds in KU’s win over Miami to clinch the Final Four odds.
Villanova Wildcats – #23 Jermaine Samuels – Forward – Senior
Jermaine Samuels was not the Wildcats’ leading scorer this season. However, he has had a monster March Madness performance in 2022. Samuels is a native of Franklin, Massachusetts, and played high school ball at Rivers School. ESPN had Samuels ranked as the 52nd best player in his class. Consider he picked Villanova over Indiana, Duke, and Kansas, among other top schools. Samuels is a 5th-year senior that benefited from an extra year because of a pandemic exemption. He was a member of the 2018 Villanova national championship team.
This year Samuels averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Specifically, in March Madness, he scored at least 15 points with at least seven rebounds in each game.