March Madness 2016 Expert Predictions: Final Four Picks Ahead Of Saturday's Games

North Carolina Basketball — Most experts are picking North Carolina to win their Final Four game against Syracuse. Getty

Both Syracuse and Villanova have been impressive in their respective runs to the Final Four, but many are expecting their seasons to come to an end on Saturday. Most experts are picking Oklahoma and North Carolina to meet in the national championship game.

North Carolina is the lone No.1 seed remaining in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, and after winning the ACC Championship they’ve beaten all four of their opponents by double-digits. Oklahoma is a No.2 seed, but many experts considered them to be the favorites ahead of No.1 Oregon in the West region because they are led by college basketball’s best player.

Buddy Hield has scored at least 27 points in three tournament games, putting on his best performance in the Elite Eight when he put up 37 points on 65 percent shooting from the field. Brice Johnson has been North Carolina’s top player, averaging 21 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the tournament.

Villanova does have their share of support as a No.2 seed that defeated the No.1 overall seed in the tournament. Following their Elite Eight win over Kansas, the Wildcats are slight favorites over the Sooners at Las Vegas and online sportsbooks.

Syracuse is a heavy underdog against North Carolina, and while some experts are picking them to cover the 9.5-point betting line, few believe they will actually win outright. The Orange are the only No.10 seed in history to reach the Final Four, and no double-digit seed has ever made it to the title game. Syracuse did manage to defeat a No.1 seed on their way to Houston, coming back from a 16-point deficit against Virginia in the Elite Eight.

The Tar Heels haven’t been to the title game since they won it all in 2009, and Syracuse last appeared in the championship game when Carmelo Anthony brought the Orange a title in 2003. Villanova hasn’t been back since the Wildcats won it all in 1985, and Oklahoma hasn’t won a Final Four game since the field was expanded to 64 teams.

Expert Final Four Predictions

Matt Norlander, CBS Sports (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Gary Parrish, CBS Sports (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Chip Patterson, CBS Sports (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Sam Vecenie, CBS Sports (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Mark Titus, ESPN (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Michael Rosenberg, Sports Illustrated (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Pete Thamel, Sports Illustrated (Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Luke Winn, Sports Illustrated (Villanova, North Carolina)

Nancy Armous, USA Today (Oklahoma, Syracuse)