Here is who national experts are predicting will win Kansas-North Carolina title game
TBS should have zero problem filling a pregame show for Monday night’s men’s NCAA Tournament national championship game between Kansas and North Carolina.
Former coach Roy Williams has deep ties to both schools, legendary Tar Heels coach Dean Smith played for KU, and the programs met 65 years ago in the 1957 national championship game. North Carolina won in triple overtime as the teams combined to score a whopping 15 points in the extra periods.
Will the Jayhawks get revenge for that game, which featured Wilt Chamberlain? Or will the Tar Heels win the battle of the blue bloods? Here is who national experts are predicting will prevail in the game, which tips at 8:20 p.m. in New Orleans.
An 80-75 Kansas win is the call from the Sporting News’ Bill Bender. Here is part of what he wrote: “The Tar Heels have a fast pace that can match the Jayhawks, who have been a little tougher on the defensive end. (Kansas coach Bill) Self is 3-0 against North Carolina, and Kansas has quietly gone about their business as a No. 1 seed in the tournament. First one to 80 wins, and we think it will be the Jayhawks.“
A KU victory is the prediction from all four ESPN writers: Myron Medcalf (84-80 final score), Jeff Borzello (83-81), John Gasaway (81-78) and Joe Lunardi (84-72). Each gave a detailed explanation for picking the Jayhawks. Here is an excerpt from Medcalf: “The challenge is that Kansas hasn’t allowed any team to control the final chapter of a game in the NCAA tournament. And I don’t believe the Jayhawks will do that here. I think this game will be tight until the final 10 minutes. And then, Kansas will beat UNC at its own game and close the show with an offensive performance that yields another national title for Bill Self and Kansas.”
North Carolina will prevail 77-74, Yahoo Sports’ Pete Fiutak said. This is from his story: “This won’t be the sharpest game out of the box, but eventually these two will settle in and it’ll become a back-and-forth fight with plenty of momentum swings. It won’t be as amazing as the second half of Duke-North Carolina was – there won’t be that type of quality – but it’ll be entertaining. It’ll get down to fouls as both teams overcome rough patches in the outside shooting to keep hammering inside. It’ll be the first time in a long, long time that Kansas has dealt with a physical style like this — three games against TCU were close — against a team that figured it all out.”
Kansas will win 74-70, says John Coon of Athlon Sports. Here is a snippet of his story: “Don’t be fooled by the seed disparity here. This is a legitimately tough game for Kansas. North Carolina has been playing like a top-10 team since late February. The Tar Heels have the size inside and the shooters outside to trade blows with the Jayhawks for 40 minutes. Only one 8-seed has won the NCAA Tournament, however. As talented as North Carolina is, Kansas has more depth and more experience. The Jayhawks won’t get rattled and will pull away late to end the Tar Heels’ underdog push for a title.”
A KU victory is the prediction from Ben Heisler of FanSided. This is a passage from his story: “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.”
Six of 10 writers at the Athletic see the Jayhawks winning: Bob Kravitz (81-75 final score), Austin Meek (81-75), CJ Moore (77-72), Charlotte Carroll (81-77), Jesse Temple (77-73) and Eamonn Brennan (78-75). Going with the Tar Heels are Brendan Quinn (83-81), Joe Rexrode (75-73), Daniel Shirley (76-73) and Justin Williams (76-71).
A Kansas victory is the prediction from another Athletic writer: Seth Davis. Here is part of what he wrote: “The numbers and the records (not to mention the point spread, which is Kansas -4.5 as of this writing) may indicate Kansas is the better team, but at this point, I think the Tar Heels are playing better. Still, it’s close enough that my concerns over North Carolina’s ability to regenerate from an emotional win become primary. I just don’t think the team that takes the court against Kansas will be the same as the one that left the court after beating Duke. (Armando) Bacot’s injury is part of that concern. It has been an incredible ride for this storied program, but alas, the story will not end happily on the final Monday night of the season. The Jayhawks will win — and cover — and when it’s all over they will be the ones raising the big trophy.”
KU will win (and cover a 4 1/2-point spread) say the six CBS Sports writers: Matt Norlander, Gary Parrish, Jerry Palm, Kyle Boone, David Cobb and Chip Patterson.
Two of three Bleacher Report writers picked the Jayhawks: Joel Reuter and David Kenyon. Going with the Tar Heels is Kerry Miller. “So far in March Madness, the Jayhawks defense has performed at a fantastic level,” Kenyon wrote. “And since the second half of the Elite Eight against Miami began, the offense has thrived, too. Kansas enters the championship with the more balanced team.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Here is who national experts are predicting will win Kansas-North Carolina title game."
