The 2022 NCAA Basketball Championship Final Four tips off Saturday, April 2, so we have prepared the best Villanova vs. Kansas betting pick along with the latest team stats, news, and odds update.

The No. 2 Wildcats meet the No. 1 Jayhawks for the first time since December 2019 when Villanova outlasted Kansas 56-55 as a 2-point underdog. According to Bookmaker Sportsbook, the Wildcats are 4-point dogs this time around, while the totals are listed at 133.0 points. 

Villanova aims for its tenth straight victory                  

The Villanova Wildcats (30-7; 20-15-2 ATS) have gone 4-0 ATS through their first four outings in the 2022 NCAA Championship. They are rolling on a nine-game winning streak following a 50-44 victory to the No. 5 Houston Cougars in the Elite Eight.

The Wildcats played terrific defense last weekend, holding the Cougars to 29.8% shooting from the field and 5.0% from beyond the arc (1-for-20). On the other side of the ball, senior forward Jermaine Samuels led the charge with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, while senior guard Caleb Daniels added 12 points off the bench.

Junior guard Justin Moore suffered a season-ending injury, and his absence would be a massive blow for the Wildcats. Moore has averaged 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds thus far, so head coach Jay Wright will have to adjust his rotation. Villanova will desperately need more from senior G Collin Gillespie (15.6 PPG, 3.3 APG), who accounted for only six points and one assist in the Elite Eight showdown against Houston.

Kansas routed Miami for its ninth straight W                 

The Kansas Jayhawks (32-6; 19-19 ATS) are coming off a 76-50 dismantling of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight. They easily covered a 5-point spread to snap a two-game ATS skid while recording their ninth consecutive SU victory.

The Jayhawks outscored the Hurricanes 47-15 in the second half, erasing a six-point deficit. Kansas made 50.0% of its field goals and 35.7% of its 3-pointers (5-for-14), while senior guard Ochai Agbaji led the charge with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Agbaji has been a key player for the Jayhawks so far this season, averaging 18.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. Kansas boasts the seventh-highest offensive rating in the country (118.4 points per 100 possessions) and ranks 21st in field goal percentage (47.8%).

Trends:

Villanova:

  • 2-4-1 ATS in the last seven outings as underdogs 

Kansas:

  • 6-2 ATS in the last eight games overall 
  • 9-4 ATS in the last 13 outings as favorites  

Villanova vs. Kansas Pick

Justin Moore’s injury is a big problem for the Wildcats, who have mostly used only seven players in their rotation. Villanova lacks depth, and outlasting the top-seeded Jayhawks without Moore in the lineup will be a tall task for the Wildcats.

Hereof, I’m backing Kansas to win and cover a 4-point spread. It won’t be an easy assignment by any means, as Villanova is capable of playing excellent defense, but the Jayhawks should have more offensive firepower than their rivals.

Pick: Take Kansas -4.0 at -110                       

The Total:

The under is 7-3 in the Jayhawks’ last ten outings, and it is 6-1 in the Wildcats’ previous seven. Also, the total has gone under in four of the last six encounters between Kansas and Villanova. I would ride these betting trends, expecting the Wildcats to slow down the pace as much as they can.

Villanova records only 62.6 possessions per 40 minutes (345th in the nation). The Wildcats will try their best to force Kansas into half-court basketball and lean on their defense to get the job done. The Jayhawks are a tough defensive bunch, too, but they average 69.5 possessions per 40 minutes.

Pick: Go under 133.0 points at -110