| Saturday, April 2, 2022 | ||
| Team | Team | Spread |
| Duke | North Carolina | 3.8 |
| Kansas | Villanova | 2.0 |
Bracketnomics
| Team | O-Eff | D-Eff | SOS | 37+ 3pt | OReb% | -45% vs. 2pt | FT Rate 37 | R + T New Rate | Old R+T |
| Duke | 1 | 45 | 58.9 | 37.0 | 31.6 | 46.6 | 28.6 | 3.6 | 12.3 |
| North Carolina | 18 | 39 | 59.3 | 36.1 | 31.0 | 47.5 | 30.1 | 10.1 | 16.7 |
| Kansas | 7 | 18 | 61.8 | 35.5 | 33.1 | 47.0 | 32.9 | 6.2 | 13.8 |
| Villanova | 9 | 17 | 61.4 | 35.7 | 31.1 | 48.0 | 30.1 | 4.1 | 10.9 |
Duke vs. North Carolina
For so many years, there was a chance that the two two rivals in college basketball would meet in the Final Four.
Personally, in 1982, I held 4 tickets to the Mideast Regional at Vanderbilt University when the NCAA Selection Committee had placed Kentucky and Louisville on a collision course in the second round after Kentucky dismissed Middle Tennessee State in the first round. The two Bluegrass rivals had not met for 25 years, and here they were just two days away from the most colossal game in the tournament since Houston and UCLA played in 1968. Alas, tiny MTSU upset Kentucky, and the value of those four tickets went from new car purchase to nice dinner purchase.
What does that have to do with this game in New Orleans? Absolutely nothing, but it allows me to stall a bit. This game is not easy to figure. Duke has the overall most efficient offense in college basketball, while Carolina is in the top 20 in offensive efficiency but since February, the Tar Heels are in the top five. Carolina’s defense is marginally better than Duke’s, but it isn’t all that much. Carolina has a little better offense at forcing fouls on the defense and a little better R+T Rating, but how much extra do you give Duke for trying to send Coach K out a winner?
In 1975, Kentucky clearly had better overall talent and should have beaten UCLA, but the Bruins played close to their top potential for the retiring Coach Wooden. The last time these two teams played, Carolina spoiled Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Additionally, the Tar Heels did not win the regular season or conference tournament in the ACC, while Duke won the regular season title. PiRate Bracketnomics values a conference champion over a non-champion in tossup games, so the edge goes to Duke to make it to the Championship Game on Monday night.
Kansas vs. Villanova
The PiRate Bracketnomics System correctly picked Kansas and Villanova to make the Final Four before the tournament began. We also picked Kansas to cut down the nets in New Orleans, so you know who we are selecting in this game.
Now, let’s look at why. First, Villanova is missing a key player in Justin Moore from an already small playing rotation. Now for the numbers. Kansas has a very slim advantage in offensive efficiency, offensive rebounding rate, defensive 2-point field goal percentage, and R+T Ratings. Strength of schedule is basically dead even, so with the injury to Moore, KU becomes a 4 or 5 point favorite.
The Pi-Rate Ratings 