Skip to content
College Sports
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Villanova is a 3.5-point underdog vs. Kansas in Final Four

With Justin Moore out, the Wildcats are a 3.5-point underdog.

Justin Moore of Villanova sits on the bench after getting injured in the South Regional championship game in the NCAA Tournament on March 26, 2022 at AT&T Arena in San Antonio, Texas.
Justin Moore of Villanova sits on the bench after getting injured in the South Regional championship game in the NCAA Tournament on March 26, 2022 at AT&T Arena in San Antonio, Texas.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

Villanova opened briefly as 4-point underdogs for Saturday’s Final Four, a number that will fluctuate as the action comes in.

“We took a bet from a respected player and we’re at 3.5 right now,” said Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at Westgate’s Superbook in Las Vegas. The over/under is around 133.

Villanova and Kansas have met three times in the NCAA Tournament. Each time, the victor has gone on to win the national championship: Kansas in 2008; Villanova in 2016 and 2018. They last met in December 2019 when 18th-ranked Villanova upset No. 1 Kansas at the Wells Fargo Center.

***link to that game story: https://www.inquirer.com/college-sports/villanova/villanova-wildcats-basketball-kansas-score-stats-highlights-20191221.html

The Wildcats will be shorthanded after Justin Moore left Saturday’s win over Houston in the final minute with what has been diagnosed as a torn Achilles tendon. Moore, a junior guard, is Villanova’s second-leading scorer at 14.8 points per game. His 34.6 minutes per game is tops on the team.

Salmons was figuring that Moore would not be playing even prior to the severity of the injury being released.

“I’m under the assumption that he’s out,” Salmons said beforehand. “We were thinking if he was healthy, the line would be 1.5 or 2. I would have rather have missed a little bit higher on the Kansas side because I don’t think he’s going to play. When that does come out, the line will go back up a little bit.

“But Villanova is still tough,” Salmons added. “Jay Wright is just does his thing. You give him a week to prepare, it figures to be a close game.”

Saturday’s game (6:09 p.m., TBS) in New Orleans is the first of the Final Four doubleheader. Duke will play North Carolina in the nightcap. The Blue Devils opened as 4.5-point favorites with the over/under at 151.