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It’s March Madness time and everyone is wondering who is favored to win UNC or Kansas? We break down the odds and give our predictions.
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UNC
The answer may be obvious to some, but with the way both teams have been playing as of late, it’s worth taking a second to look at the matchups and make a case for each team.
Roster
The UNC Tar Heels have one of the most talented rosters in the country. They are led by star forwards Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson. They also have a very deep bench with talented players like Coby White, Nassir Little, and Leaky Black. The only weakness on this team is their lack of a true center, but they make up for it with their excellent perimeter shooting.
Record
UNC has a 27-4 record this season. They have lost to Duke, Virginia, Florida State, and Syracuse. They have beaten Kentucky, Louisville, and Ohio State.
Schedule
The University of North Carolina Tar Heels are set to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA tournament this weekend. UNC is favored to win, but Kansas is no slouch. Here’s a look at each team’s schedule leading up to the big game.
UNC:
-March 14: vs. Florida State (W, 81-80)
-March 16: vs. Syracuse (W, 78-74)
-March 17: vs. Duke (L, 73-88)
Kansas:
-March 14: vs. UC Davis (W, 100-62)
-March 16: vs. Michigan State (W, 90-70)
-March 17: vs. Purdue (W, 98-66)
Kansas
The Jayhawks come into this game as the favorite to win. They have been dominant all season and have one of the best players in the country in Joel Embiid. UNC is a good team, but they will have their hands full with Kansas.
Roster
In order to beat UNC, Kansas will need big performances from a few key players. Devon Dotson, Udoka Azubuike, and Silvio De Sousa will have to assert themselves early and often against a very good Tar Heels team.
Dotson is the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, averaging over 16 points per game. He is also their best perimeter defender and will be tasked with slowing down UNC’s star guard, Cole Anthony. Azubuike is one of the best big men in the country. He is averaging over 13 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game. De Sousa is a 6’9″ forward who provides Kansas with a physical presence inside. He is averaging close to 7 points and 5 rebounds per game.
If Kansas can get contributions from these three players, they have a good chance of winning the game.
Record
Into the final weekend of the regular season, Kansas is 25-6 overall and 13-4 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks have won 12 of their last 13 games, with their only loss coming at Baylor. Kansas swept its season series against Texas Tech and TCU and went 1-1 against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks’ non-conference losses came to Duke, Villanova and Arizona State.
UNC is 22-9 overall and 11-6 in the ACC. The Tar Heels have won seven of their last eight games, with their only loss coming at Duke. UNC defeated Louisville and went 1-1 against Virginia in its final two regular season games. The Tar Heels lost to Texas, Wofford and Ohio State in non-conference play.
Schedule
Kansas has a bye this week, but they have a big game next week against UNC. They are favored to win by 3 points.
Analysis
The University of North Carolina is currently favored to win against Kansas in their upcoming game. This is based on several factors, including UNC’s recent string of victories and Kansas’s recent string of losses. However, there are a few key factors that could tip the scales in favor of Kansas, such as home-court advantage and the fact that UNC is coming off of a loss.
Head-to-Head
In their history, UNC and Kansas have faced off against each other 96 times. In those 96 games, UNC has won 58 times while Kansas has come out on top 38 times. This means that, head-to-head, UNC has a 60.4% chance of winning any given game against Kansas.
Looking at this another way, if the two teams played 10 times, UNC would be expected to win about 6 of those games while Kansas would be expected to win about 4.
Key Players
There are a few key players to watch on both sides in this matchup. For UNC, it all starts with senior point guard Joel Berry II.Berry is the heart and soul of this team, and he’s coming off a performance against Gonzaga in which he scored 29 points and hit some big shots down the stretch. He’ll need to be at his best again if UNC is going to come out on top.
Kansas will look to counter with junior guard Devonte’ Graham. Graham is one of the best playmakers in the country and can take over a game offensively when he gets going. He’s also a very good perimeter defender, so he’ll provide a tough test for Berry.
Other players to watch include UNC sophomore forward Luke Maye, who has been a breakout star this season, and Kansas freshman forward Josh Jackson, who is one of the most talented players in the country.
Intangibles
One of the most important aspects of any basketball game is the intangibles. This includes such things as who has the better coach, who has home court advantage, and which team is better prepared emotionally and mentally. Let’s take a look at some of these factors in the upcoming game between UNC and Kansas.
Coach:
There is no doubt that Bill Self is one of the best coaches in college basketball. He has led Kansas to 14 straight conference titles and has taken them to the Final Four on multiple occasions. However, Roy Williams is no slouch either. He has won three national championships and is widely respected as one of the best coaches in the country. Based on their resumes, it’s fair to say that both coaches are evenly matched.
Home Court Advantage:
In this case, home court advantage goes to UNC. The Tar Heels are playing in their home state and will have a lot of support from the crowd. This could be a big factor in the outcome of the game.
Emotional and Mental Preparation:
This is hard to gauge, but it’s fair to say that both teams will be evenly matched in this area as well. Both teams have experienced players who have been through big games before and know what it takes to win.
Prediction
UNC is favored to win against Kansas due to their strong performance against other teams in the tournament. They have been playing well and are expected to continue their winning streak. Kansas, on the other hand, has not been doing as well in recent games and is not expected to perform as well as UNC.
