2008 ncca tournament bracket
2008 ncca tournament schedule
NCAA tournament bracket
As if Saturday night's Kansas-North Carolina mega-clash didn't have enough drama with the teams' storied histories, etc., the coaching angles have added even more for people to talk about.
Of course, UNC coach Roy Williams left Kansas five years ago to coach his alma mater, and many Jayhawk faithful still can't forgive him. And all week, current Kansas coach Bill Self has had to answer questions about the sudden opening at his alma mater - Oklahoma State.
Will any of this make a difference in the actual game? Probably not. UNC is a 3-point betting favorite with an over/under of 160 on WagerWeb.com.
Of all the Final Four teams, Kansas (35-3) looked the most vulnerable in the Elite Eight. If a Davidson 3-point buzzer beater had connected, well, Self would still have that Final Four monkey on his back. Other than that game, however, KU has pretty much rolled past Portland State, UNLV and Villanova. But be warned: That second-round game against the No. 8 Runnin' Rebels was the highest-seeded team the Jayhawks have faced thus far.
North Carolina (36-2) was dominant the first three rounds in dispatching Mount St. Mary's, Arkansas and Washington State. The Heels were tested by No. 3 Louisville in the Elite Eight, but they managed to win that game by double digits, as they have all their NCAA tournament games. That said, this will be UNC's first game outside the state of North Carolina in more than a month.
Both teams like to push the tempo. KU averages 80.4 points a game; UNC 89.2. Both should be in a comfort zone, offensively, playing against a team that employs a similar style.
"They remind us of ourselves because they're so deep and have balanced scoring," said UNC point guard Ty Lawson. "There's no other team that we played against that's like them."
Kansas' strength is in its balance: seven players averaging between 13.1 and 7.3 points. Brandon Rush, who was expected to be in the NBA this season until knee surgery forced him to return to school, is the top scorer with the 13.1 average.Rush, Mario Chalmers (12.7 ppg), forward Darrell Arthur (12.7 ppg) and forward Darnell Jackson (11.2 ppg) led the Jayhawks to a No. 3 national ranking in field goal percentage (50.7) and assists (18.2), while holding down the nation's No. 6 spot with their assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).
Because there is no real star on whom to concentrate, Kansas is often able to ride the hot hand inside or on the perimeter.
Through 38 games, Kansas has had seven different leading scorers, seven different players lead the team in rebounding, five different in assists, eight different in steals and seven different in blocked shots (these includes ties).
"Kansas presents more problems for us than anybody we've faced all year, by far," Williams said. "I think they're the most balanced team we've played. They have tremendous perimeter players who can score and who can defend. They have tremendous post players who can score, can defend and can rebound."
North Carolina pushes the pace at every opportunity. It's what the Heels do best. Lawson missed seven games - including both losses - with an ankle injury, but he appears to be back to full speed.
Of course, the star is Tyler Hansbrough, who was a unanimous first-team All-America and the AP Player of the Year after averaging 22.8 points and 10.3 rebounds, shooting 54 percent from the field and leading the world in hustle plays. His all-out style means that Kansas will have to get maximum effort from its four "bigs." After being the team's leading scorer much of the season, Arthur has averaged just 10 points in the NCAA Tournament.
Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Co. must stay out of foul trouble because "Psycho T" is the nation's best at getting to the foul line. Hansbrough averages about 10 free throws per game and is shooting 81 percent from the stripe.
The Tar Heels are the best offensive rebounding team in the country. They grab an offensive rebound on 43 percent of their possessions. Against a physical and athletic Louisville front line, their offensive rebounding rate was more than 50 percent.
Betting trends: Jayhawks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog. . Jayhawks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. ACC. . . . Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600. . Tar Heels are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 NCAA Tournament games. . Tar Heels are 42-17-1 ATS in their last 60 non-conference games. . Tar Heels are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5. . Under is 6-0 in Jayhawks last 6 NCAA Tournament games. . Over is 4-0 in Tar Heels last 4 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5. . Over is 4-1 in Tar Heels last 5 NCAA Tournament games.
Prediction: This should be a classic. 160 is a big number for an over/under, so I'd lean to the under (barely) and take the points and KU.
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