Kansas vs North Carolina: Jayhawks will confirm their status as favourites

The Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels advance to the NCAA college national finals. Who will win the title? We'll pick a few options to bet on at once.

The semi-finals went off without too much trouble for Bill Self's team. The Jayhawks outscored Villanova by 16 points, 81-65. Another great game was played by the Kansas City Chiefs. Ochai Agbaji scored 21 points. And in the three-second zone, the opponents could find no resistance against forwards David McCormack (25 points and 9 rebounds) and Jalen Wilson (11 points, 12 rebounds).

Kansas thus reached the national finals on one leg, winning nearly all of their playoff games by double-digit margins. The only exception was in the regional semifinals when the Jayhawks beat Providence 66-61. Even here, though, the score did not reflect Bill Self's team's real advantage.

In their semi-final game, North Carolina faced their biggest rival, Duke. The teams had never faced each other in the Final Four before, which added to the value of the game. It was also their 100th meeting in history, with Duke leading 50-49. It also might have been the last meeting for legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, as it turned out.

North Carolina trailed by 3 points in the first half but closed the second half with a 47-point run and an 81-77 win. A landmark success for the Tar Heels, also in their first season under new coach Hubert Davis.

North Carolina won a game that has already made history as Mike Krzyzewski's last NCAA game and as the first meeting between Duke and the Tar Heels in the Final Four. In this way, Carolina will likely come into the game against Kansas simply drained emotionally. The Jayhawks beat Villanova in the semifinals without any problems, saving their energy for the finals of the year. It's hard to imagine that Kansas will lose in the upcoming game.

The prediction is a win for Bill Self's team.

• Handicap 1 (-3.5) for 1.80;
• Kansas Total Over 78.5 for 1.90.

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