On January 29, the Kansas Jayhawks hosted the Kentucky Wildcats at historic Allen Fieldhouse. Accordingly, it was a Saturday ESPN primetime showdown of the ultimate blue blood brands. For weeks, the game was highly touted as a matchup of favorites with the Final Four odds. Concurrently, Kansas was riding high and a 5-point betting favorite. But the epic showdown turned into an 82-60 rout for the Cats. At that moment, Kansas was written off as a fraud that would not make it close to the national championship. Yet if KU wins on Monday, they’ll be national champions.
National Championship Game North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Kansas Jayhawks
| Date and Time: | Monday, April 4, 2022, 9:20 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| TV Coverage: | TBS |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | +4 (-110) | 151½ (-110) | +165 |  |
| Kansas | -4 (-110) | 151½ (-110) | -190 | |
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North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Kansas Jayhawks SBG Odds Overview
On the whole, the Kansas Jayhawks are one of the most powerful college basketball brands in online betting. As a college basketball royalty, Kansas is in the same class as North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, and UCLA. Consider that Kansas has three national championships with six runner-up finishes. This marks the 16th Final Four appearance for the Jayhawks.
Kansas has a history that boasts some of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. In the beginning was James Naismith himself, literally the man that invented basketball. Phog Allen, Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, and Bill Self are legendary leaders and champions. And then there is the litany of great Jayhawk players. Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning, Raef LaFrentz, Jo Jo White, Bud Stallworth, Darnell Valentine, and Clyde Lovellette. This is the fourth KU Final Four under Self, who took over in 2003-04. Of course, Kansas won the 2008 national championship under Self.
Naturally, such a great history of glory has a price on the wagering board. Fans and gamblers that ignore college basketball until March know that Kansas is an elite brand. Oddsmakers are aware of this image and price the Jayhawks with that in mind. Thus, finding realistic value on KU games can be challenging at times. For example, Kansas has covered only two of its last four games en route to the national championship. KU has a straight-up record of 33-6 but covered just 20 of those games vs. the odds.
Kansas Jayhawks Road to the Final Four
As mentioned earlier, Kansas had its Final Four betting credentials damaged in the loss to Kentucky. Instead of moping about it, Kansas went 16-3 straight up, and 12-7 against the spread the rest of the way. In Saturday’s national semifinal, the Jayhawks dominated Villanova from start to finish in an 81-65 win as 4-point favorites.
Head coach Bill Self is in his 19th season at Kansas. He is a 2-time AP National Coach of the Year, among numerous other awards. Of great concern has been a 5-year NCAA and FBI investigation into his recruiting practices. But nothing has come of it. However, that investigation has damaged KU’s recruiting ability. Self may have turned in his greatest coaching performance ever this season. Kansas doesn’t have 1-and-done NBA prospects. Instead, the Jayhawks have focused on developing good but not great players for their success.