Marcus Paige is leading the Tar Heels. Flickr/Jerome Carpenter
Marcus Paige is leading the Tar Heels. Flickr/Jerome Carpenter

With the Final Four set to tip off Saturday, it’s no surprise to those who have followed college basketball this season which team is the overwhelming favorite.

North Carolina is a near double-digit favorite Saturday to defeat Syracuse, and according to oddsmakers, is the heavy favorite to either win the title or lose in the championship game.

Oddsmakers released exact results odds this week on what to expect in the title game. North Carolina defeating Villanova in the championship game led the pack at +250, with the Tar Heels over Oklahoma not far behind at +300.

Even if North Carolina doesn’t win, oddsmakers still assume it will be in the title game. The Wildcats beating North Carolina is +375, while the Sooners winning the title against North Carolina is at +450.

The longest shot is Syracuse defeating Oklahoma at +1600.

It’s no surprise that oddsmakers are almost split on the Sooners and Wildcats, while being confident in North Carolina. Villanova is a two-point favorite against Oklahoma, while North Carolina is a 9.5-point favorite against the Orange.

The Tar Heels haven’t been challenged yet in the tournament and North Carolina’s two victories already this season against the Orange are enough for oddsmakers to dismiss the ACC foe.

I don’t blame oddsmakers. Generally in these cases, the Cinderella in the Final Four falls back to earth in the national semifinal. Syracuse has been a good story, but getting to Houston has come via a victory against seventh-seed Dayton, 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee, 11th-seeded Gonzaga and No. 1 seed Virginia.

In the previous two games, I could make a strong argument that if Syracuse played Gonzaga and Virginia 10 times, the Orange would be hard-pressed to win three of those contests.

They’ve been outplayed for the majority of those games, but found a way to win. That deserves some credit, but I won’t let it cloud my judgment for Saturday.

The Tar Heels win big, setting up a matchup with either Oklahoma or Villanova. That should be the marquee matchup, and so far, it’s hard to argue that any team is playing better than Villanova.

Both these teams have been some of the most consistent this season, and it appears the Wildcats are playing with a chip on their shoulder. I’ll flip a coin on this one, and go with the better defensive team in Villanova.

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