For the first time ever the Final Four will include all four #1 seeds. North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, and Kansas had few challenges on their path and all found their way to San Antonio. Now, the blowout weekend of action from the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 sets the stage for one of the most intriguing Final Fours ever seen.
North Carolina vs. Kansas and Memphis vs. UCLA, it doesn't get any better than this.
I picked Kansas over UCLA and missed only one game on my bracket. If Kansas beats UCLA, I'll win my office pool. That said, it could easily be North Carolina over Memphis, or Memphis over Kansas, or even UCLA beating Carolina. That's the point, this Final Four is wide open.
VegasInsider.com gives the slight edge to North Carolina, listing them as a 8/5 favorite. The three other teams are all listed as a 12/5 choice. That's about even as it can get. Ironically, UCLA opened as the favorite with 9/2 odds, UNC and Kansas were 5/1 and Memphis 6/1 on the website. Caesar's Palace has installed Memphis as a one-point favorite over UCLA and the casino has North Carolina laying three points to Kansas.
The oddsmakers see it pretty much the same way the AP writers did in their final poll of the regular season. They had North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, and Kansas #1 through #4 respectively.