Final Four Injury Report – Kansas vs Villanova; Duke vs UNC
- Wildcats go into their NCAA Tournament Final Four semifinal against the Jayhawks minus Justin Moore
- No new injuries being reported leading into the Duke Blue Devils-North Carolina Tar Heels semifinal
- Analysis of how the odds are being impacted by these varying injury reports is assessed below
Less of Moore is not good news for the Villanova Wildcats as they prepare for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Final Four semifinal against the Kansas Jayhawks. Nova starting guard Justin Moore is out for the remainder of the season.
Moore ended up tearing the Achilles tendon in his right leg during the closing moments of the Wildcats’ 50-44 Elite Eight victory over the Houston Cougars. He was to undergo surgery this week.
On the other hand, both the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils are reporting no new injuries as they prepare for their Final Four semifinal.
Villanova and Kansas will tip off at 6:09pm ET, followed by the Duke-North Carolina showdown at 8:49pm ET. Both games are being played at the Caesars Superdome and being broadcast by TBS.
Villanova vs Kansas Injury Report
Team | Player | Status | Statistics |
---|---|---|---|
Villanova | Justin Moore | Out | 14.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 apg |
Villanova | Jordan Longino | Out | 1.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.4 apg |
Team | Player | Status | Statistics |
Kansas | Bobby Pettiford | Out | 1.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.9 apg |
Kansas | Kyle Cuffe Jr | Out | N/A |
Moore is a big piece of what Villanova does on the floor. The 6-foot-4 Moore is second on Villanova in points (14.8) and assists (2.3) and third in rebounds (4.8).
Minus Moore, sixth man Caleb Daniels is stepping into the starting five. The senior is averaging 10.2 ppg off the bench. Nova’s dilemma is that little-used reserves Chris Arcidiacono and Bryan Antoine will see significantly more playing time. Arcidiacono (two minutes) was the only player beyond the big six to see the floor against Houston.
This is a tough blow for all of us , not just because of the great player Justin is , but because of what he means to us as teammates and coaches …https://t.co/GLEloF1U0L
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) March 27, 2022
Villanova backup guard Jordan Longino (knee surgery) has missed the entire NCAA Tournament.
As far as the Jayhawks are concerned, their injuries are long ago and minimal in impact. Freshman point guard Bobby Pettiford was lost for the season after undergoing core surgery in late February. He was contributing just 1.4 ppg. Freshman shooting guard Kyle Cuffe Jr was redshirted in November.
Although KenPom’s prediction for this game is 70-69 Kansas, the line in the Kansas vs Villanova odds and picks has grown from Kansas -3.5 to Jayhawks -4.5 since the severity of Moore’s injury became apparent. According to the March Madness model of the sports analytics site fivethirtyeight.com, Villanova’s chances of beating Kansas dropped from 42% to 22% due to Moore’s absence.
Will Pennsylvania betting sites see less action backing the Wildcats because of Moore’s injury?
Duke vs North Carolina Injury Report
Team | Player | Status | Statistics |
---|---|---|---|
Duke | None | N/A | N/A |
Team | Player | Status | Statistics |
North Carolina | Dawson Garcia | Out | 9.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg. 0.7 apg |
North Carolina | Anthony Harris | Out | 2.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 0.6 apg |
Although Duke is listing no injuries, it’s known that junior forward Wendell Moore dealt with a hip issue encountered in the opening round against Cal State Fullerton after slipping on a wet floor. During the ACC Tournament, Moore was also leveled by a flagrant foul from Clemson’s David Collins. Moore is averaging 13.5 ppg this season.
David Collins was called for a flagrant 2 for this foul on Wendell Moore Jr.
Moore Jr. was able to remain in the game. pic.twitter.com/m8KFBnWj6V
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2022
North Carolina’s personnel losses were suffered a while back. The team announced in January that backup guard Anthony Harris was done for the season for undisclosed a reasons. Forward Dawson Garcia left the squad in February due to a family medical issue.
The +158 chalk in the odds to win the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils are 4.5-point favorites in the Duke vs North Carolina odds and picks.
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