March Madness Championship Odds: North Carolina vs. Kansas prediction, odds, pick

It is not lost on any North Carolina fan that after a season marked by the Mike Krzyzewski farewell tour, the national championship game contains strong connections involving two iconic Tar Heels, Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Smith isn't alive to see this, but Williams is, and his imprints are all over this game between Carolina and Kansas.

Roy Williams was an assistant coach at North Carolina under Dean Smith. He then coached at Kansas and beat Dean Smith in the 1991 Final Four. On that 1991 North Carolina team was Hubert Davis, who scored 25 points in UNC's loss to Williams in the national semifinals. Williams and Kansas then lost to Duke, marking Coach K's first national championship. Roy Williams coached Kansas for more than a decade, reaching the national championship game again in 2003. After losing that game (in New Orleans, the site of this year's Final Four) to Syracuse, Williams was asked by Dean Smith to come home and coach the Tar Heels. Williams said yes, and Kansas fans understood because this was Dean Smith, his mentor, wanting him to help the North Carolina program.

Smith, for those who don't know, attended the University of Kansas and was a player on the 1952 team which won KU's first national championship. Smith and Williams have strong ties to both programs, making this the ultimate Dean Smith-Roy Williams championship game. Coach K has been topped — literally and figuratively — by North Carolina and Kansas. Now let's assess this game and the March Madness championship odds involved.

When making a North Carolina Kansas prediction, the obvious but huge variable in this game is the health of UNC big man Armando Bacot. He suffered an ankle injury late in the Tar Heels' win over Duke on Saturday. He came back into the game after the injury, but it's unknown how effective he will be in this game. He will play, but if he can't operate at full strength, that's huge.

If Bacot is still reasonably effective, this has the makings of a great game. Kansas played its best game in several weeks when it smoked Villanova in the national semifinals. Ochai Agbaji hit each of his first five 3-point shots. David McCormack was a beast inside, but he went against an undersized Villanova front line. Bacot can guard him, provided Bacot is fully mobile. That's a matchup to watch for in the paint.

When thinking about a North Carolina Kansas pick, you also need to pay attention to Leaky Black. The North Carolina defensive stopper smothered Duke's A.J. Griffin on Saturday. He doesn't look for offense on the Tar Heels — that's what Caleb Love and R.J. Davis do — but he can win games by shutting down hot shooters. How he performs will be another central discussion point.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the North Carolina-Kansas odds:

March Madness Championship Odds: North Carolina-Kansas Odds

North Carolina: +4 (-110)

Kansas: -4 (-110)

Over: 151.5 (-110)

Under: 151.5 (-110)

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Why North Carolina Could Cover the Spread

The Tar Heels are a No. 8 seed, but no one — not even Kansas — has played better over the past four weeks. UNC has beaten Duke twice, Baylor once, and UCLA once. Don't look at seedings. 

Why Kansas Could Cover the Spread

The Bacot injury situation is hard to ignore. If he is only 85 percent or worse, that's going to be a crusher for Carolina.

Final North Carolina-Kansas Prediction & Pick

If we're being honest — and with betting, there's never a time to not be honest — you should not bet on this game before tipoff. You should wait to live-bet this game based on what you see from Bacot. If he can go full speed and be effective, Carolina has a great chance. If he is not effective, it's hard to see North Carolina winning. If forced to guess, though, Bacot will probably be less than 100 percent, which gives the edge to Kansas in a low-scoring game.

Final North Carolina-Kansas Pick: Kansas -4, under 151.5