By Art Beitchman
A week ago, before Villanova beat Miami and the mighty and favored Kansas Jayhawks 64-59 to move on to the Final Four in Houston this weekend, the Wildcats weren’t taken seriously as a legit team to win it all.
They sure are now!
In Vegas, where the smart guys live and work, the Cats have been made the favorite over Oklahoma in Saturday’s night semifinal game.
And FiveThirtyEight.com agrees. That site crunches numbers and comes out with uncannily accurate percentages for sporting events, and presidential races.
Here is 538 editor Nate Silver’s data crunch for the Final Four, two semifinal games, and national championship winning chances.
Villanova—54%
Oklahoma—46%
North Carolina—70%
Syracuse—30%
To win the title game Monday night:
North Carolina—38%
Villanova—28%
Oklahoma—22%
Syracuse—11%
