North Carolina vs. Kansas NCAA Championship Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The 2022 men’s NCAA Tournament field has finally been whittled down to two teams as the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks are set to face the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels in the national championship game in New Orleans on Monday night. Kansas, the only No. 1 seed to reach the Elite Eight, pulled away late against Villanova in the Final Four, downing the Wildcats 81-65. North Carolina is still standing after a back-and-forth 81-77 win over rival Duke in the legendary Coach K’s final career game.
The Jayhawks opened as 4-point favourites to win on the NCAAB odds, with a total of 153.0.
North Carolina vs. Kansas NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
These teams have met several times late in the NCAA Tournament, including the 1957 national championship game, which the Tar Heels won 54-53. Kansas came out on top in the 1991 Final Four, while NCU took the 1993 Final Four. The Jayhawks also took out North Carolina in the 2008 Final Four in their last national championship winning season.
The Tar Heels have won 11 of their last 12 games and reached the title game by taking out No. 9 Marquette, No. 1 Baylor, No. 4 UCLA, No. 15 Saint Peter’s and No. 2 Duke. They’re 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games, covering in all five tournament games. North Carolina has hit the Over in three of five tournament games and seven of their last eight contests against Big 12 opponents.
Kansas has won 10 straight games overall and 10 of their last 11 against ACC opponents. The Jayhawks reached the final by going through No. 16 Texas Southern, No. 9 Creighton, No. 4 Providence, No. 10 Miami and No. 2 Villanova. They’re 7-2 ATS in their last nine games, including 3-2 ATS in the NCAA Tournament. The total has gone Under in three of the Jayhawks’ five tournament games.
North Carolina Tar Heels (8)
This is North Carolina’s first appearance in the big game since their 2017 national championship winning season. Caleb Love led the way against Duke in the Final Four, dropping a game-high 28 points. The sophomore guard is just one part of a versatile offence that includes Armando Bacot, Brady Manek and R.J. Davis. Bacot in particular has been turning heads. The junior big man is averaging a team-high 16.3 points per game and has posted a double-double in every postseason game this season, ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament included. The one concern is the ankle injury that forced Bacot to temporarily leave the game against Duke. He eventually returned to the game, but was noticeably limping, so it’s a situation worth monitoring.
As good as the core of this team is, questions still surround their depth. That depth issue was on full display in the second round when Manek and Love got into foul trouble and Baylor went on a 30-4 run, eventually ending in an overtime win for NCU. Outside of the starting lineup, which played every minute of the second half against Duke, there is a sizeable drop-off in talent against elite teams, which was exposed against Baylor. The health of Bacot could be the biggest factor for North Carolina in this game.
Kansas Jayhawks (1)
David McCormack put up a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds against Villanova, while Ochai Agbaji added 21 points. Agbaji, the Big 12 leading scorer and Big 12 Player of the Year, averages a team-high 18.9 ppg and can be effective across the court. The senior guard is one of the best three-point shooters on the team, but he’s just as capable of driving the lane and making something happen at the rim. Defensively, Agbaji’s ability to take off on a fast break is a big reason why Kansas is able to push the tempo in games and he’s also an intimidating on-ball defender and defensive rebounder.
The biggest advantage for this team is their experienced seven-man rotation that includes four seniors, a junior and two sophomores. On the flip side of things, it has to be at least a little concerning that the Jayhawks only managed single-digit wins against Creighton and Providence and they actually trailed Miami 35-29 at halftime. Kansas was the only team in the Final Four with no former five-star prospects, which is pretty surprising given the school’s history of producing NBA talent. Agbaji’s performance will likely be the difference for the Jayhawks on Monday.
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