Men's NCAA Championship Game 2022
Kansas vs North Carolina
The madness of March comes to a head tonight with the championship game between one seed Kansas and eight seed North Carolina. This isn't how I had my bracket going, but I don't think many had this matchup in the finals.
At the time of this writing, the Jayhawks are favorites by 4 points. That's it, four little points. That probably accurate too. As much as I'd like to see Kansas destroy the Tar Heels, I don't believe this Carolina team is going away easily. They have a ton of fight in them, and their coaching Cinderella story is pretty easy to get on board with. There aren't too many coaches like Hubert Davis that can claim they beat Mike Krzyzewski twice in their first year coaching. Not only did they spoil his last home game, but they also bounced him from the tournament. That sure is some great bragging rights there.
I believe that this is Kansas game to lose. I think they are superior when it comes to talent. Getting Remy Martin back has been huge and Ochai Agbaji has been unstoppable. Although UNC has played extremely talented teams in the tournament, we've also seen them have moments where they can't score or stop playing defense altogether.
Caleb Love has been impressive. If there is anyone on that team that I think can turn it on at any time and take over, it's Love. Armando Baycot has also been a stud. Although I don't like the way he plays, as he's a great actor and somewhat dirty, he has been highly effective. If UNC plays like they did against Duke, Kansas better bring their A game.
Kansas has a better bench in my opinion, especially when it comes to big men. They are tall and athletic, not to mention skilled are running a quick passing offense. Kansas must hit the three pointer, when they do, it's lights out. If they get a big lead, I think they will keep it. Bill Self isn't messing around, and he's played the same 7 to 8 guys all tournament long. Watch out for Mitch Lightfoot, this kid can play and when Jalen Wilson or David McCormack aren't in the game, he's a solid replacement.
So I like Kansas. I know it's easy to pick the number one seed and pretend like it's an easy pick, but it's not. UNC is a good team, and I wasn't a huge fan of their coach, but I was completely wrong about that. Whatever he's doing, it's working and it's obviously been successful. I wouldn't be surprised if this one comes down the buzzer. I feel like this tournament deserves a close game, as it's been one of the better tournaments in recent memory. Whatever the case, I'm prepared to be entertained and I can't think of a better thing to watch on a Monday night.
Go Jayhawks! Bring home your 4th title.