The Final Four tips off this Saturday in Detroit, Michigan with the Villanova Wildcats taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Michigan State Spartans facing the Connecticut Huskies. While North Carolina and Connecticut were favored to reach the NCAA Tournament semi-finals, Villanova and Michigan State certainly were not. 
Now that the Wildcats are in Detroit, they are still viewed as the longest shot to win the national championship. 2009 NCAA Tournament Odds Final Four Picks at Sportsbook.com currently have Villanova listed at +600 moneyline odds to win the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Villanova walked the most strenuous path to Detroit, squaring off against American University, UCLA, Duke, and Pittsburgh. Those four opponents had a combined win percentage of 79.2. The only other Final Four squad to approach that level of difficulty was North Carolina (76.8 opponent win percentage). Despite the stiff competition, the Wildcats won all their games by double digits with the exception their regional final 78-76 victory over Big East rival Pittsburgh.
Jay Wright's troops have averaged 81 points per game in their NCAA Tournament run while limiting their opposition to an average of 66.5. The also won their first three East Region games by an average of 18.6 points per game. They now possess an 8-2 neutral site record headed into their battle with the Tar Heels.
The Wildcats most reliable performer in their four Big Dance wins has been forward Dante Cunningham. Cunningham has averaged 17.75 points and 8.25 rebounds per game in the tournament, improving on his season totals of 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per outing. Guard Scottie Reynolds, the team's second leading scorer, has hit for 12.5 per game in the NCAA's while guard Corey Fisher has averaged 9.75 points per contest.
Villanova has won primarily due to their ability to work the glass (they have outrebounded their tournament competition by an average 10.25 boards per game) and play solid defense. The Wildcats have shot 45.3 percent from the field during the tournament , but their victims have hit for a collective 40.2 percent.
Sportsbook.com's 2009 NCAA Tournament Odds Final Four Picks:
Villanova Wildcats +600
Michigan State Spartans +500
Connecticut Huskies +250
North Carolina Tar Heels -125
