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The Post’s Zach Braziller breaks down Monday night’s national championship game between Kansas, a No. 1 seed, and North Carolina, a No. 8 seed, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Point Guard
R.J. Davis has scored, rebounded and distributed at a high level throughout this NCAA Tournament. He kept North Carolina in the game in Saturday’s first half against Duke, and when his teammates got hot, the White Plains native created for them. In five tournament games, he has 28 assists and nine turnovers, a better than three-to-one ratio. As was the case against Villanova, Kansas sophomore Dajuan Harris Jr. will be the “other” point guard in this matchup, but he shouldn’t be overlooked. Harris defends, makes the right play and isn’t afraid of the moment.
Edge: North Carolina
Guard
Combined, North Carolina’s Caleb Love and Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji scored 49 points in the Final Four, combining for nine 3-pointers. The two NBA prospects have been up and down in the tournament, but lately both have been at their best, leading their respective teams to the final night of the season. They are each capable of absolutely turning a game on its head, as was evident Saturday night.
Edge: Even
Guard
Leaky Black is the glue to North Carolina, its best defender, a strong rebounder and distributor, and an iron man, averaging 37.2 minutes per game in the tournament. Black will likely see plenty of time defending Agbaji, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer. Similar to Black, Christian Braun doesn’t draw a lot of headlines, but he is very important to Kansas. He’s a big shot-maker and taker who possesses defensive versatility with immense upside he has yet to fully tap into.
Edge: Kansas
Forward
One of the driving forces behind North Carolina’s blazing hot stretch over the past two months, Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek stretches the floor and is a better interior defender than advertised. His athleticism was put to the test by Duke’s projected one-and-done, top-three NBA draft pick Paolo Banchero on Saturday, and he thrived in producing 14 points and three blocks. Versatile Kansas forward Jalen Wilson will be a similar challenge.
Edge: North Carolina
Forward
It will be the most watched right ankle in the country Monday night, the one belonging to North Carolina star forward Armando Bacot. He turned it late in the win over Duke as he was posting his second straight game of at least 20 rebounds, the first player to do so in the NCAA Tournament since Tim Duncan in 1991. His health will be particularly significant facing Kansas big man David McCormack, who destroyed Villanova to the tune of 25 points and nine rebounds. McCormack has become an X factor for the Jayhawks, who are 19-3 when he scores in double figures. But, at least in the NCAA Tournament, he hasn’t faced anyone nearly as good as Bacot.
Edge: North Carolina
Bench
Call this the Remy Martin category. Kansas’ standout guard is the lone difference-maker off the bench for either team, an explosive scorer capable of turning the game for the Jayhawks if he has it going. After scoring 58 points in the first three rounds, he has been kept in check, limited to 5-for-14 shooting in the past two games.
Edge: Kansas
Coach
Hubert Davis has defeated last year’s national champion (Scott Drew) and arguably the greatest college basketball coach ever (Mike Krzyzewski) during this tournament run. Now he matches wits with Bill Self, another elite coach. Davis has pushed all the right buttons in his first year at North Carolina, getting this team roaring after a poor first half to the season. But Self has been here twice before, winning one title. He has the significant experience edge.
Edge: Kansas
Prediction
Ignore the point spread that favors Kansas. Forget about the potential emotional hangover for North Carolina. Nothing has made sense about the Tar Heels’ run over the last two months. They have gone from average to elite, sending No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 Duke and No. 4 UCLA all home. Kansas is the latest victim. Love catches fire in the second half yet again and the Jayhawks aren’t nearly as hot from deep as they were against Villanova. Hubert Davis completes one of the more extraordinary first seasons for a head coach in memory.
North Carolina 75, Kansas 73
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