UNC vs. Kansas National Championship Comes Down to One Key Stat
By Peter Dewey
Could Monday night's National Championship Game come down to just one simple stat?
Well, it's not that simple but there is one thing that is going to define how this game will go: 3-point shooting.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have played great defensively from beyond the arc, holding the Duke Blue Devils to less than 25 percent shooting form deep in the Final Four, and that will be important against a Kansas team that is one of the best shooting clubs in the country.
Despite the offensive showcase, @DukeMBB was held under 25% from 3 for just the 4th time this season. Great job all night by @UNC_Basketball to close out on shooters and force Duke into tough shots. @UNC_Basketball heads to the #NationalChampionship #MarchMadness #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/9kCMYlDMkg
— CBB Analytics (@CBBAnalytics) April 3, 2022
The Jayhawks blitzed Villanova in the Final Four with an insane 3-point attack, hitting 13 of their 24 3-point attempts, way above their season average of 36.1 percent, which is good for 52nd in the country.
The Tar Heels actually shoot even better from 3 this season, going 36.2 percent, but they limit opponents to just 33.7 percent shooting from downtown.
If the Tar Heels can hold Kansas' 3-point attack in check, this may be a tough game for the Jayhawks, who don't have the size advantage inside that they did against Villanova. Brady Manek and Armando Bacot should be able to control the paint for the Tar Heels, and Bacot has been a monster on the glass, grabbing 16.8 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament.
Both of these teams have a plethora of shooters from Ocahi Agbaji, Remy Martin and Christian Braun for Kansas to Caleb Love, Manek and R.J. Davis for the Tar Heels.
I expect this game to be a close one, but if one team can control the 3-point game, it's going to be tough for the other to pull of the win.