By Mike Fahy ‘22

The greatest weekend in college basketball is coming upon us. As 64 total college basketball teams entered the March Madness tournament, only four of those teams remain. Kansas, Villanova, Duke, and North Carolina will square off in the Final Four. However, only one team will be crowned champion.

In the round of the Elite Eight, Kansas soundly defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 76-50. The Jayhawks now have the ultimate test against one of the most fundamentally sound teams in America: the Villanova Wildcats. Villanova beat a red-hot Houston team 50-44 in the Elite Eight.

Dylan Warda ‘22 said, “I know the Jayhawks will pull through with this one. It won’t be easy because Villanova is the best free-throw shooting team in the country, but I think Kansas wins by five points.”

The next game is the most anticipated game of the entire tournament. The Duke Blue Devils face the North Carolina Tar Heels. In Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final year coaching Duke, he and his team plan on defeating their arch rival and advancing to the championship game.

Duke is coming off a 78-69 win over Arkansas, and North Carolina easily defeated the Saint Peter’s Peacocks 69-49. Saint Peters made a miracle run as they beat Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue to become the first ever 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight.

Colin Ashley ‘22 said, “As an Arkansas fan, I am rooting against Duke. I hope North Carolina pulls this one out because Duke ended the season of my favorite team.”

I think Duke will defeat North Carolina, and Kansas will beat Villanova. North Carolina crushed Duke 94-81 when the two teams met in early March. This is a revenge game for the Blue Devils. Although Villanova is the best free throw shooting team in the country, I think Kansas will jump out on them early and seal it in the second half.

Henry Boyer ‘22 said, “I definitely agree with your picks. I think Villanova will give Kansas a good game, but Kansas will come through with the win. Duke will beat North Carolina by at least 10 points. They have everything to play for including their coach’s final season.”

All four of these teams cut down the nets and completed a run to the Final Four. But, who will win their next two games and go down in history as the 2022 NCAA March Madness Champion?