NCAA Tournament National Championship Game Best Bets

By Akiva Wienerkur   April 4, 2022 

NCAA Tournament National Championship Game Best Bets

Who are the blue bloods of college basketball?

That’s something writers and fans have argued about forever and will continue to debate for years to come. Some have a very liberal definition of “blue blood,” while others are more protective about the term, but there are five schools whose blue blood status is completely unimpeachable: Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, and the two competitors in tonight’s championship game, Kansas and North Carolina.

Between them, these two schools already have nine championship banners. Kansas last raised one in 2008 when it beat Memphis in an overtime classic. North Carolina lost a heartbreaker in 2016 to Villanova before getting redemption the following year and winning the title over Gonzaga.

This year, Kansas, a #1 seed, is a four-point favorite over the #8 seeded Tar Heels. A UNC win would tie this team with the 1985 Villanova squad as the lowest-seeded national champion ever. Can they do it? If they don’t, can they still cover? And what of the game’s 152-point total? These are your best bets for the final college basketball game of the 2021-22 season.

North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) celebrates after their win over the Duke Blue Devils after the game during the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY
North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) celebrates after their win over the Duke Blue Devils after the game during the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY

North Carolina vs. Kansas

The Bet: Kansas -4 (-110, Draftkings)

Last year, there was a lot of money to be made on the national championship if you bought into the theory that the team coming off the much tougher and more emotionally draining game would struggle to rise to the occasion two days later in a title game. Baylor dismantled an undefeated and extraordinarily talented Gonzaga squad that legged out a remarkable win against UCLA on Final Four Saturday. Kansas could absolutely to the same to North Carolina tonight, following the latter’s remarkable performance against arch rival Duke.

The Blue Devils didn’t have answers for North Carolina’s exceptional guards, Caleb Love and RJ Davis. Kansas won’t struggle in the same way, yet the Jayhawks can also throw enough bodies at Armando Bacot to prevent him from wreaking too much havoc offensively. North Carolina will still control the glass, but it took an otherworldly second half shooting performance to beat Duke by four. They’ll need to keep that up for 40 minutes to top Kansas, and that doesn’t seem likely.

Getting here was a major achievement for this team and its first year coach, Hubert Davis. But Kansas is seasoned and ready for this moment. They’ll win and cover.

Kansas Jayhawks forward Zach Clemence (21) subs in against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half during the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas Jayhawks forward Zach Clemence (21) subs in against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half during the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina vs. Kansas Over/Under

The Bet: Under 152 (-110, fanduel)

Both teams scored more than 80 in their wins on Saturday, but at least in North Carolina’s case, they’ll be tired after a grueling win. And because both teams don’t use their benches too much, it’s not hard to imagine one or both getting into some foul trouble and getting out of their usual lineup patterns, disrupting what are otherwise very fluid offenses.

It’s just too high a total to assume both teams are going to be capable of bringing their A games again. The under is the smart play tonight in our final college basketball best bet of the year.

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