North Carolina opens as major underdog vs. Kansas in National Championship game
North Carolina is a 4-point underdog against Kansas in the National Championship game on Monday night.
That line is courtesy of DraftKings. The total has been set at 152 points. North Carolina is +155 to win outright.
UNC was also a 4-point underdog against Duke in the semifinals on Saturday evening. The Tar Heels ended up winning 81-77 in a game that included 17 lead changes.
A big factor in this game will be the health of UNC center Armando Bacot. He briefly left the Duke game with an ankle injury, but was able to return. Still, there’s concern that he might not be 100% going into the National Championship game.
Coach Hubert Davis told reporters on Sunday that Bacot’s X-rays were negative and that he’s going to practice on Sunday.
X-rays on Armando Bacot's ankle were negative, Hubert Davis announces.
Bacot will practice today. pic.twitter.com/nV30hyrvxr
— Saturday Road (@SaturdayRoad) April 3, 2022
Kansas has dominated its competition so far in the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks have won all but one game by double-digits. The lone exception was a 66-61 victory over Providence in the Sweet 16, but KU was never in jeopardy in that game.
North Carolina has covered the spread in 5 straight NCAA Tournament wins. That span includes three outright victories as the underdog.
Tipoff is at 9:20 p.m. ET on Monday night.