Picking the Final Four games | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde pick their winners for the highly anticipated matchups between Duke and UNC, and Kansas and Villanova, and debate potential championship outcomes.
Video Transcript
[BAT HITS BALL, CROWD CHEERS] DAN WETZEL: Duke-Carolina, Duke is a 4 and 1/2 point favorite, over/under 132.5. 70% of the bets at MGM and 80% of the money is on the Blue Devils. Pat, who you got? PAT FORDE: Well, I expect Carolina to shut them out because of Leaky Black. So I figure it's probably going to be about 71 to 0 for the Heels. No, I think Duke will win. I think Duke has better talent. They have been more consistently good. Krzyzewski said, we had a bad week. And he basically owned that we over blew the whole last game at Cameron thing and put too much pressure on our own kids. And quite frankly, I think this is probably more a Krzyzewski family/school, we want to send Mike out the right way than him saying, I need to be honored. I just think that it kind of got blown up around him. And his very young team did not handle it well. And since then, boy, they've played well. They had stretches against Michigan State and against Texas Tech and then again against Arkansas, maybe five-minutes stretches. But when the game was close, where they just absolutely were brilliant offensively and good enough defensively. They've added a little zone to their repertoire now. So they can mix. They've got size. They've got speed. They've got guys that can shoot. They've got everything you need to win a national title. I don't know whether they will. But they've got enough, I think, to beat North Carolina, which has obviously raised its level of play incredibly starting March 5 in Cameron. And they've got great players too. I mean, they have size. They have shooters. When their guards are playing the way they have been, Caleb Love especially but RJ Davis as well, I mean, that could be a heck of a fun shootout if those guys are hitting. Then I think we're looking at 77 to 75 or something. But if they're not, if Caleb Love's back to going 4 for 18 and not guarding very well, that sort of thing, then it's all on Leaky's shoulders. And that might be too much to ask. DAN WETZEL: I'm with Duke too. I just think they have too many good players, Wendell Moore, AJ Griffin, Banchero, Mark Williams, I mean, these guys are all NBA-bound. They just have so much talent. And it's interesting when you go back to that game. Like I said, I thought these guys couldn't handle the pressure of it. It probably was just way too much. I mean, there was something just sort of over the top about that day. And I get it was not really for national consumption. It's more like, this is a Duke thing. But just, everything felt too big. PAT FORDE: I was there. It started on Thursday. It was the first time you're like, hmm, when K. had a press conference. And he was really good. But the words North and Carolina never came up. It just worked against them, I think. And it certainly worked in Carolina's favor. They could feel the disrespect. DAN WETZEL: I think I mean, look at it, nobody has more experience than Mike Krzyzewski at coaching in the Final Four unless we're going to go with Geno Auriemma in terms of the men's side. So my guess is he's just running this like he normally does, 13th Final Four. And at this point, the pressure and the finality would matter whatever's going on. PAT FORDE: Right. DAN WETZEL: So this is it. So if he can keep that, I just think they have a better team than North Carolina. PAT FORDE: Yeah. DAN WETZEL: Obviously, going to be a great game. All right, Villanova-Kansas. Kansas is giving 4 and 1/2 over/under 151. Half the bets, with 75% of the money, is on KU. PAT FORDE: Yep, Jayhawks will win and cover. Yeah, with Justin Moore, I would give Villanova a chance. They still would be up against it from a size standpoint. That's immovable. But they would have those perimeter players. And the way they space the floor, move the ball, make shots, I would give them a chance, especially to kind of frustrate Kansas. But without him, no. This is a six-man team that's now a five-man team. You're going to have to try to get, like, Brian Antoine who was a five-star, like top 10 recruit, who's been injured and ineffective and really done nothing in his college career, you're going to, all of a sudden, have to try to get him up to speed in, like, a week's time. I think that's too much to ask against a very, very good opponent. So it all lines up for Kansas not just to win there but then to have the fresher team in the final, I think, on Monday. DAN WETZEL: If it's Kansas, I'm going to pick Kansas too. This is really boring picks, we all agree. Kansas-Duke, Kansas would be giving one. And Kansas-UNC, Kansas would be giving 5. PAT FORDE: Hmm. DAN WETZEL: OK? Duke-Villanova, Duke would be giving 3.5. Villanova-UNC, Villanova would be at 1.5 favorite. They don't like Carolina. If it's Kansas-Duke, who do you got just quickly, which team? PAT FORDE: I'm going to take Duke, rematch of the 1991 finals, not a rematch, really. I hate when people say that. It's just a reoccurrence. DAN WETZEL: Hey, boss! PAT FORDE: Yeah! We're not dusting off Greg Kubiak and Mark Randall and Adonis Jordan and Grant Hill from that game, sorry. DAN WETZEL: It's like when they do those stats, like so-and-so is 112 and 83 all time on Tuesday nights. OK, great. PAT FORDE: Right, yeah. DAN WETZEL: Very relevant. PAT FORDE: So no, but I'll take Duke. I just think at that point, you get there, you've gotten to that point. You've finished the job. It could be a heck of a game. And I do think they would be the less-rested of the two teams. And that does matter. Sometimes you see teams crack on that Monday night, no matter how badly they want it. But I'm going to say Duke gets it done and wins the whole damn thing.