Tar Heels vs Jayhawks: Game Predictions

It's the final game of the season, as the Kansas Jayhawks take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the National Championship Game. The Blue Wings Rising crew tells you what you should expect to happen.

This is it. The final game of the season. No matter who wins tonight, there are no more games to predict. The Kansas Jayhawks have approached the postseason with business-like attitude on the court, and all the swagger of a team that knows they have the talent to win it all off the court.

The opponent tonight are the North Carolina Tar Heels, a team that went from the wrong side of the bubble to the National Championship in 6 weeks. Will they continue their hot streak and give Hubert Davis his first championship in his first season as head coach? Or will Kansas be able to build on their best game of the season against Villanova and give Bill Self his second national title, cementing his status as arguably the best coach currently in the game?

Our crew gets together to tell you what we think you can expect to see today.

Think we have it wrong? Come join us on the Blue Wings Rising Discord Server and join the conversation!

© Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Brendan Dzwierzynski: It’s genuinely thrilling, and also nerve racking, that there are so many huge storylines in this National Championship Game. Can David McCormack repeat his performance from the Final 4 against a better big man? Can Ochai Agbaji stay white hot? How well can Kansas run North Carolina off the three-point line? I’m going to bank on the Jayhawks continuing their momentum from Saturday while the Tar Heels succumb to an emotional letdown, even if it’s just slightly, after their win over the Duke Blue Devils. It will be competitive, but I think Bill Self gets title No. 2. 

Kansas 78, North Carolina 73.

Lucas Murphy: The Kansas Jayhawks have made it to the National Championship and will square off against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The last hoorah, and all hands need to be on deck. This will not be an easy matchup for the Jayhawks, but they have played well through the entire tournament. There is not one specific player who needs to perform; it is the whole team. If they can keep the pace of play up and make their free throws, then Kansas comes out victorious. The Jayhawks are in the National Championship. I had to say it one more time.

Kansas 75, North Carolina 71

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Kyle Davis: This matchup is going to be fascinating to watch. How can David McCormack hang with Armando Bacot (who is battling an injured ankle)? Who will stick to Brady Manek and can Jalen Wilson expose him defensively? Can KU keep up its hot shooting while doing a better job running UNC off the arc than it did to Villanova? And can UNC avoid foul trouble playing as short of a lineup as Nova did? I don’t know but after the last three halves the Jayhawks have played, I’m not about to count them out. Bill Self finally gets his second title. 

Kansas 77, North Carolina 71

Derek Noll (from Napoli, Italia): Kansas has won both the games I’ve been out of the country for, so let’s make it three and a championship. I’m going to say that the Jayhawks take their swagger (and the best defense North Carolina has seen in a long time) to the Tar Heels and end their hot streak. The Kansas Jayhawks are your 2022 National Champs!

Kansas 80, North Carolina 68.

© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Andy Mitts: Let's be real here. We literally have no idea how tonight's game is actually going to go. The Jayhawks have so many options that it's nearly impossible to figure out which one is going to be the one that works on any given night.

However, there are a few things that I would really LIKE to see, and that I think will lead to success. Ochai Agbaji should continue to shoot lights-out. Maybe not 6-7 from three good, but still good. Jalen Wilson is going to be a beast all over the court. Remy Martin will bring a lot of energy, and while he won't be as efficient as in the first two weekends, I expect him to make a few big plays that will get everyone talking. Mitch Lightfoot will likely struggle in this matchup, but his role always has been to steal some minutes for McCormack to get some rest. And Dajuan Harris is going to be there to play solid defense, help the ball keep moving, and hopefully throw up some shots when North Carolina leaves him wide open.

The real questions are if McCormack is going to fair well against Bacot in the middle, and if Christian Braun can flex his shooting muscles early in this one. Those are the two keys to this game for me. If McCormack gets going early, that will force help on the inside which should open up more space for Braun. If Braun hits a couple quick threes, that should help bring the defense out, opening up more space in the middle. This team has shown the ability to vary their attack from TV timeout to TV timeout, and their defense has been fantastic in the tournament. Give me the hottest team in all of college basketball to take home the trophy.

Kansas 83, North Carolina 74

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