North Carolina vs. Kansas Prediction and Odds for National Championship (Jayhawks to End Tar Heels' Magical Run)

Ole' Roy's got a tough decision to make.

When No. 8 North Carolina and No. 1 Kansas play for the national championship Monday night, the former KU and UNC head coach Roy Williams must decide which of his two former coached teams he'll be pulling for to win it all. He coached in Lawrence from 1988-2003 before departing to Chapel Hill from 2003-2021.

My money's on UNC, for what it's worth.

The Jayhawks throttled the 2-seeded Villanova Wildcats 81-65 in the early game, as KU center David McCormick was magnificent; dropping 25 points and nine rebounds in his best performance of the season.

In the late game, the Tar Heels were led by 28 points from Caleb Love, including the dagger Saturday night against the Duke Blue Devils to make it a two possession game.

Here are the opening odds for Monday's national championship game via WynnBET Sportsbook:

North Carolina vs. Kansas Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• North Carolina +4.5 (-110)
• Kansas -4.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• North Carolina +165
• Kansas -200

Total:

• 153 (OVER -110 | UNDER -110)

North Carolina vs. Kansas Prediction and Pick

UNC is starting to make me feel pretty ridiculous for picking them to fall against Marquette in the opening round of the tournament.

Now, Hubert Davis now has a chance to prove me wrong for the sixth consecutive game. Should the Tar Heels defeat the Jayhawks Monday night, Davis becoming the first head coach since Steve Fisher in 1989 to win the NCAA tournament in his first season on the job.

Yet even with the Tar Heels continuing to impress as each round goes on, I still can't pull the trigger on them even with the available 4.5-points.

The Jayhawks took it to Villanova without Justin Moore both in man-to-man, as well as in zone coverage. Villanova entered the matchup with the No. 23 KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in the country and hadn't allowed more than 61 points in the tournament. They gave up 81 to KU on 53.5% shooting inside the arc and 54.4% from downtown. With the exception of a 10-0 run to cut the Wildcats' deficit to nine midway through the first half, Kansas was in complete control throughout the game.

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels have got to be spent emotionally from all the fanfare leading up to Coach K's final game and Round 3 of this iconic rivalry. They now have to turn it all around on one day of rest and face another historic coach in Bill Self that's been in these moments before. In fact, Bill Self's last appearance in the National Championship was in this very building in 2012; when the Jayhawks fell to Anthony Davis and the Kentucky Wildcats. 67-59.

The Tar Heels were 100/1 to win the tournament via WynnBET Sportsbook when the selection show came out. Now, they're a game away from cashing in.

I simply don't see it. The Jayhawks' balanced attack can balance the Tar Heels' pace, while their renewed commitment on the defensive end should stop Caleb Love from going for another 28 points.

PICK: Kansas -4.5 (-110)

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