Who is expected to win march madness

It was all the way back in November when the 2021-22 college basketball season got underway and ever since then its been month after month of non-stop action followed by the last few weeks of a fast-paced 2022 NCAA Tournament that began with 68 teams and has been reduced to two. On Monday, the March Madness bracket boils down to an epic championship matchup Monday evening at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans between two of the sport's top blue bloods: No. 1 seed Kansas and No. 8 seed North Carolina. History awaits. As such, the end of the 2022 college basketball season is now just hours away.

Storylines abound in this one as we prepare to crown a champion. Kansas coach Bill Self looks to secure his second championship at KU nearly 14 years to the day of his first and only one with the Jayhawks. The chance for a title comes two years after his team would have likely been the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament that was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For North Carolina, coach Hubert Davis is also aiming to make history after becoming just the fifth first-year coach to ever take a team to a title match in Year One. His Tar Heels are on the cusp of becoming the second team ever to win a championship as  No. 8 seed -- company kept only by legendary 1985 Villanova. No team with a lower seed has ever ran through the entire bracket.

Our team of experts have picks for the historic season finale Monday below both straight up and against the spread. Take a look at their predictions below.

Keys to 2022 NCAA championship

Perimeter showdown: Kansas wing Ochai Agbaji is a CBS Sports first-team All-American who has knocked down of 8 of 9 attempts from 3-point range over the Jayhawks' last two games. But UNC guard Caleb Love may actually be hotter entering Monday night's game. The 6-4 sophomore turned in a legendary 30-point game against UCLA in the Sweet 16 when be absolutely caught fire in the second half. Then, against Duke on Saturday night, he scored 28 points and hit a clutch late 3-pointer to help cement the outcome in UNC's favor. Agabji is more seasoned and steady, but Love is uber-talented and explosive. Whichever team gets more from their star backcourt player will have a big edge.

McCormack vs. Bacot: North Carolina center Armando Bacot racked up 43 rebounds over UNC's last two games. The CBS Sports All-American is the Tar Heels' only true center, and he's been a steady force beneath the basket all season. His counterpart, David McCormack of Kansas, is far more inconsistent. McCormack goes through long stretches when he's off the radar and a non-factor. Then, out of nowhere, he can burst onto the scene for 25 points and nine rebounds like he did in KU's win over Villanova on Saturday. On paper, Bacot is the better player and should have an edge. But if Bacot gets in foul trouble or is hampered by the leg issue that bothered him against Duke, a quality showing from McCormack could make the difference in the game for Kansas.

Bench battle: If North Carolina is forced to use its bench much, it could be an issue. The Tar Heels have relied heavily on their starting five in the second half of the season and are particularly lean behind Bacot in the frontcourt. If the game is tightly officiated, someone is ejected or an injury issue pops up, the advantage will go to Kansas. The Jayhawks bring one of their top offensive weapons off the bench in Remy Martin and have a solid backup big man in Mitch Lightfoot. Beyond those two, coach Bill Self also has a few other wild cards he can deploy if needed. Also, if the Jayhawks can get out and run in transition with regularity, it could help wear UNC down.

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern

2022 NCAA championship predictions

(1) Kansas vs. (8) North Carolina

9:20 p.m. | TBS, March Madness Live: Kansas looked to be in top form Saturday as it not just ousted -- but trounced -- No. 2 seed Villanova in a dominant showing. Ochai Agbaji was at the peak of his powers, David McCormack owned the paint, and the Jayhawks strutted their way to the national final. UNC, on the other hand, is coming off perhaps the most emotional win of any team in Final Four history after knocking off Duke and ending Coach K's historic career. Will the Tar Heels be able to keep that momentum going on a short turnaround? I think they'll be up for the moment to keep this one relatively close, but it's a tall order to keep it within the 4.5 against this KU team. I'm laying the number. Pick: Kansas -4.5

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The 2022 version of the NCAA Tournament was, yet again, a memorable affair in an event that never disappoints. But the dust has now mostly settled as the Final Four has come and gone, and now it's time to crown a champion in Division I men's college basketball as Kansas and North Carolina will clash on Monday night for the national championship. Due to the insane ride that was this year's March Madness event, your bracket just may have turned into a shambles.

Our experts have spent months preparing for this exact moment. We've broken down the tape, watched the top players and have all the intel necessary to help guide you through your bracket on teams from the No. 1 seeds all the way down to the No. 16 seeds.

Below, our team has filled out their expert brackets, so think of this as a cheat sheet to aid you in winning your pool. Copy all you want, we won't judge. We're here to serve you, and our knowledge is your knowledge. Just know if we're right and make the correct picks, we're absolutely responsible and want credit, and if not, we want zero blame. Them is the rules. 

OK, on to the brackets. 

Gary Parrish

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Yes, once again, I'm picking Gonzaga to win the national title. Yes, I know, I've done this multiple times before -- and it's never worked out. But that doesn't mean it's wrong or dumb to go with the Zags again this season. The fact that they haven't done it yet doesn't mean they can't do it. It just means they haven't done it yet -- but I sincerely believe that'll change early next month. Gonzaga is elite offensively, elite defensively and loaded with top-end talent. This is the year the Zags get it done.

Matt Norlander

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Where will we see chaos this year? It's inevitable, you know. A beautiful bracket of 68 teams with near-infinite possibilities. And here I am putting Murray State and Vermont into the second weekend. Call me a romantic. But those two teams have won a combined 58-7 and have won 41 of their past 42 games. I'll ride the hot hand, and yes, that means Murray State gets to play and beat Kentucky in the second round, a la Loyola Chicago doing the same thing to Illinois a year ago. (Both mid-majors obviously can never get in-state big brother to schedule them.) As for my Final Four: Kansas has the easiest path by far. That's a default pick. I've maintained the entire season that teams as low as the 4-line are good enough to make it to New Orleans. 

I'll stick with that and go with Big Ten co-champs of the regular season Illinois, which is one of the best 4-seeds in recent memory. On the left side of the bracket, a Gonzaga-Duke regional final in San Francisco would be phenomenal. Gonzaga rates as the best team in the sport, so I'll go with the 1-2 of Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren to get it done, then I'm sticking with my preseason national title pick, Purdue, to come out of what I expect will be a noisy and entertaining East region. Gonzaga's my pick to win the national championship because the 7-1 Holmgren paired with Timme is the best 1-2 in college hoops. Kansas to the title game is more of a value play, plus KU has a top-five guy in Ochai Agbaji. 

Mark Few finally gets it done and makes history. There have been great Gonzaga teams -- even some better than this one. But this is finally the year. GU has the offensive and defensive ceiling to get there, and it's experience, length and improved athleticism wind up being enough. Bulldogs script a terrific college sports redemption story after falling one game short a year ago.

Kyle Boone

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I'm not going out on a limb by picking the No. 1 overall seed to win it all, but after Gonzaga's loss to Baylor in the title game last season -- especially how it lost -- it does feel like the Bulldogs are losing some believers. Absolutely should not be the case. This team is just as capable of winning it all as last year's team that went 31-1 and finished as the national runner-up. Its guard play isn't the strength it was a year ago, but its frontcourt play is even better, led by footwork king Drew Timme and 7-foot teammate Chet Holmgren, the frontrunner to go No. 1 in this year's draft.

David Cobb

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For a team as dominant as Arizona has been this season, the Wildcats have flown somewhat under the radar due to the fact that they play in the Pac-12, which reverted to mediocrity in 2021. Make no mistake, though. Arizona is an elite college basketball team with all the ingredients of a national title winner. With an excellent duo of rim protectors in Christian Koloko and Oumar Ballo, the Wildcats check the defense box. Offense is where they thrive, however. First-year coach Tommy Lloyd has seamlessly implemented the Gonzaga philosophy, and he's got a deep rotation of quality guards and wings capable of carrying it out, led by a potential lottery pick in Bennedict Mathurin.

Chip Patterson

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This is not one of the most talented teams that Bill Self has had at Kansas, but it's supremely confident and rounding into form with full health and high-level basketball heading into the NCAA Tournament. I love their versatility in terms how many different players can get buckets while still having a true alpha in Ochai Agbaji. Picking the Jayhawks to the Final Four was easier than pulling the trigger on the title, as I think Arizona and Kentucky are both worthy contenders to win it all. Elsewhere in the bracket I've got a couple 1-seed upsets with Baylor bowing out early to a high-variance UNC squad and Gonzaga falling in the Sweet 16 to a UConn team that might be the most dangerous team outside the top-4 seed lines in the field.

Jerry Palm

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The time has come for Gonzaga to finally finish the job.For the second consecutive season, the Bulldogs are the overall No. 1 seed. They are built differently this time. While Drew Timme remains, electric guard Jalen Suggs has been replaced by C Chet Holmgren, a rim protector who changes how the Zags defend. He can also score from anywhere on the floor. It will not be an easy path. Winning six games in this tournament never is. But I think the Zags will at long last get their shining moment.

Kevin Flaherty

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Mark Few faces off against his protégé Tommy Lloyd, a result nobody saw coming from the Wildcats before the season started. But Gonzaga is a team on a mission after nearly running the table a year ago and falling short at the final step. In a fun up-and-down game, the Bulldogs have the better point guard, best NBA talent and best college basketball player. This Gonzaga team isn't last year's squad, and is a bit more flawed, but it's certainly good enough to finish the job.

Dennis Dodd

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The pressure is the Big Ten. Nine teams -- 64%of the league and 13% of the bracket – populate the NCAA Tournament. With that many teams comes big-time pressure to make a dent. The Big Ten didn't last year despite having nine teams in as well. That despite the entire tournament being played one of the conference's capitals, Indianapolis. Ohio State was knocked off by Oral Roberts. Purdue lost to North Texas. Illinois got beat by Loyola-Chicago. Here we go again with six of the nine Big Ten squads higher seeded in their first games. I like Purdue and Iowa to get to New Orleans. The Boilers and Hawkeyes would be making their first Final Four appearance since 1980. Iowa has been a resilient scoring force all season and his under-seeded at a No. 5. Purdue has been in the top 10 all season with a typically big front line and all-Big Ten guard Jaden Ivey. That helps the Big Ten look at itself in the mirror. It doesn't prevent Arizona from winning it all, on the 25th anniversary of Lute Olson's championship squad in 1997.

Josh Nagel

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Following a loss to rival North Carolina on coach Mike Krzyzewski's final home game and failing to win the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils have just one opportunity remaining to send Coach K into retirement with a flourish. That opportunity lies in this erratic bunching providing the Hall of Fame coach with his sixth national title, and it appears the NCAA Tournament committee paved a favorable road for this possibility. The Blue Devils have a relatively modest road to the Final Four except for top-seeded Gonzaga, which it already defeated 84-81 in November. If the Blue Devils find themselves in the Final Four, look for them to finish the job and leave Coach K's detractors seething.