Final Four thoughts: After wild NCAA Tournament, only the bluest of blue-bloods remain standing

After all of the madness this NCAA Tournament has brought – 64 wild games (4 in the First Four, 32 in Round 1, 16 in Round 2, 8 in the Sweet 16 and 4 in the Elite Eight), a 15-seed advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time ever, Miami making it to that round for the first time in program history, and much more – it has come to this.

Only 4 teams are left standing this March, and it’s an exclusive club featuring only the bluest of the nation’s blue-blood programs.

And, in a tidbit even Hollywood writers think would be too on the nose, all 4 programs actually feature blue in their jerseys.

That’s right. Heading to New Orleans are North Carolina (6 national championships), Duke (5 national championships), Kansas (3 national championships) and Villanova (3 national championships). Yes, that adds up to 17 national titles between the 4 semifinalists this year.

This is the first time in the history of the NCAA Tournament every member of the Final Four will have at least 3 national championships to its name.

Simply put – that’s crazy.

So, what can we expect when the tournament shifts to New Orleans for its final 3 games?

Here’s 1 note about each of the 4 remaining teams:

North Carolina: Brady Manek key to Tar Heels’ success

You’d better believe Duke’s coaching staff will be looking to see what the Blue Devils can do to stop Brady Manek on Saturday night. Manek has been elite this postseason.

Yes, Armando Bacot was a monster against Saint Peter’s on Sunday, recording an absurd 20-point, 22-rebound double-double against the Peacocks. But, he’s going to post double-doubles regardless of who is lined up across from him (even if that is lengthy Duke big man Mark Williams).

So, Manek is the key. The Tar Heels are only a mediocre 4-4 when Manek plays but doesn’t record 10 points. That falls to a measly 1-4 when Manek doesn’t score 10 points against teams that made this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Duke will be trying to stop Manek. But, Hubert Davis and his staff can come up with some creative ways to get him open looks, too. Duke hasn’t been able to contain Manek yet this year. He had 21 points and 6 boards in the Tar Heels’ loss on Feb. 5. He had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Cameron Indoor on March 5. We’ll see what he can do the third time around.

Hubert Davis is in his first year at UNC. His task now? Taking down Coach K in his last year at Duke. The Tar Heels already played spoiler in K’s final home game at Cameron Indoor. Can they do it again by ending K’s career with a loss? That might depend on how strong Manek looks in the first half of Saturday’s game.

Duke: Will pressure finally catch up to young Blue Devils?

Coach Mike Krzyzewski is in his final season at Duke. If you don’t know that, you’ve either been out in the woods for 6 months or live under a rock. Coach K has won 5 national titles in his career, but never with a team this young. There are only 2 seniors who averaged more than 10 minutes per game this season – Theo John and Joey Baker.

Baker hasn’t appeared in a game since Duke’s opening-round win against CSU Fullerton. John hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in a contest since March 1. Duke’s current rotation features 3 freshmen, 2 sophomores and a junior, Wendell Moore Jr., who is ancient compared to his young teammates.

So far, the pressure of Coach K’s last March Madness run hasn’t gotten to them. In fact, Krzyzewski has been beaming with pride talking about how much this team has grown up this March.

But, the Final Four is a different beast altogether. A game against heated rival North Carolina on a neutral court won’t be a walk in the park. Kansas and Villanova are both veteran, experienced teams.

Will the pressure catch up to the Blue Devils? We’ll see how they come out on Saturday against the Tar Heels.

Villanova: How much will Justin Moore’s injury impact Wildcats?

Villanova can’t catch a break. Last year, in the Wildcats’ second-to-last regular-season game, Collin Gillespie suffered a torn MCL and missed the NCAA Tournament. On Saturday against Houston, key guard Justin Moore suffered a ruptured Achilles in the final minutes of a win that sent the Wildcats to the Final Four.

What should have been a joyous moment left Moore in tears, knowing he wouldn’t be able to join his teammates on the court in New Orleans:

Justin Moore’s teammates immediately ran over to console him after exiting the game in the final seconds ?#MarchMadness @NovaMBB pic.twitter.com/47QecgXppI

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2022

Moore averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. His absence will be noticeable, especially since he knocks down more 3s than anyone not named “Collin Gillespie” on Villanova’s roster.

He won’t be there to space the floor, make crisp passes or knock down timely 3s. Unfortunately, at this point in the NCAA Tournament, that might prove to be a fatal blow to the Wildcats’ title hopes.

Kansas: Stifling defense could make life tough on undersized Villanova

Villanova is a small team that doesn’t have anyone in its rotation over 6-8. Meanwhile, Kansas has big man David McCormack (6-10), Mitch Lightfoot (6-8) and Jalen Wilson (6-8) who all get regular minutes.

And, in the Elite Eight against Miami, Kansas used that size and length to bother a Hurricanes squad that saw 6-10 Sam Waardenburg foul out early in the second half. The Jayhawks’ smothering defense held the Hurricanes to only 15 points in the game’s final 20 minutes.

That’s Tony Bennett-like Virginia defense. That’s a team that got chewed out at halftime while trailing 35-29 and responded in a huge way. The Hurricanes never stood a chance against the Jayhawks’ onslaught coming out of the halftime locker room.

Yes, Kansas has plenty of offensive weapons, including likely lottery pick Ochai Agbaji. But, if the Jayhawks are going to cut down the nets in New Orleans, the defense is what’s going to get them there.

Miami made only 3 of 21 3-point shots on Sunday. Without Justin Moore in the lineup, Villanova will have trouble from beyond the arc, too.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.