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For all the marbles — or beads — No. 8 North Carolina faces No. 1 Kansas for the 2022 NCAA Tournament national championship game from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Monday.
This is the 12th time that North Carolina will be appearing in the national championship game but this time, the legendary program is tied for the lowest seed ever to make the title game. Villanova in 1985, Butler in 2011, and Kentucky in 2014 are the only other 8 seeds to play for the national championship.
The Tar Heels have already taken down top-ranked teams in the bracket, defeating No. 1 Baylor in the second round before ending Mike Krzyzewski's legendary career at Duke in the Final Four on Saturday night.
Kansas — another blue-chip program — has provided some stability as a reliable No. 1 seed in a tournament that lived up to its billing of March Madness.
After a pair of single-digit scares against Creighton and Providence, the Jayhawks breezed past Miami (FL) by 26 in the Elite Eight before taking care of No. 2 Villanova by 16 in the Final Four.
This is the second time in the NCAA Tournament era that these two programs are playing each other for a national championship, having met three previous times in the Final Four. They played for the national title in 1957, with North Carolina prevailing in triple overtime.
2022 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game: North Carolina vs Kansas
How to Watch:
Date: Monday, April 4
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA
TV: TBS
Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 8 UNC |
STAT |
No. 1 KU |
| ACC |
Conference |
Big 12 |
| 29-9 |
Record |
33-6 |
| 78.6 (T-28th) |
Points Per Game |
78.4 (26th) |
| 68.1 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
67.2 |
| 0.593 (35th) |
RPI |
0.6607 (1st) |
| 28th |
Strength of Schedule |
4th |
| At-Large |
Bid |
Automatic (Big 12 winners) |
Kansas leaders:
Apr 2, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward David McCormack (33) dunks the ball against dunks the ball against Villanova Wildcats forward Brandon Slater (3) during the second half in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
18.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 39.8% 3PT
David McCormack, F, SR: 25 points, 9 rebounds in Final Four vs. Villanova
North Carolina leaders:
Apr 2, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) celebrates their win over the Duke Blue Devils after the game during the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
16.5 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 58.6% FG
Caleb Love, G, SO: 15.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 37.1% 3PT
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
Spread: Kansas -4
Kansas Moneyline: -180
UNC Moneyline: +155
Over/Under: 153
Over/Under Record: KU 19-15, UNC 19-13-1
Over/Under Trends: Each of Kansas' last 12 games has produced a total of 151 or fewer points.
ATS Record: KU 17-16-1, UNC 16-16-1
Picks and Trends
KU has won 21 of its last 22 games against unranked AP opponents.
UNC has conceded 81+ points in each of its last four games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents.
KKU forward David McCormack put up a monster game against Villanova in the Final Four, dominating the interior with 25 points and nine rebounds while shooting 83.3% from the field. He'll have a much stiffer test against UNC, though, as big man Armando Becot has been a menace under the basket all season and tournament long. He did just that against Duke on Saturday, hauling in 21 rebounds to go with 11 points in the Tar Heels' win.
For more 2022 NCAA Tournament coverage, visit TailgateSports.com
