The North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0) visit the Kansas Jayhawks (1-0) on Friday, starting at 7 p.m ET from Lawrence, KS. The game is airing live on ESPN2 and streaming on YouTube TV and other streaming apps.
The Jayhawks are 8-point favorites over the Tar Heels on the spread (Kansas -8), with the over/under currently at 159 points. The Jayhawks are -325 favorites on the moneyline to win outright, while the Tar Heels are +260 to pull off the upset.
Let's dive into my UNC vs. Kansas predictions for Friday, Nov. 8.
UNC vs Kansas Prediction
My pick: Over 159
My UNC vs Kansas best bet is on the over, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
UNC vs Kansas Odds
| North Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -108 | 158.5 -112o / -108u | +295 |
| Kansas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -112 | 158.5 -112o / -108u | -375 |
- UNC vs Kansas spread: Kansas -8
- UNC vs Kansas total: 158.5
- UNC vs Kansas moneyline: Kansas -375, UNC +295
- UNC vs Kansas State best bet: Over 159
UNC vs Kansas Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS |
| Date: | Friday, Nov. 8 |
| Start Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN2 |
UNC vs Kansas is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start time, live from the Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS, on Monday. The game is live on ESPN2.
UNC vs Kansas College Basketball Betting Preview
Let’s hope this opening week headliner provides a more competitive matchup than Baylor at Gonzaga, eh?
Two bluebloods meet in the country’s heartland, both of which have extremely high hopes this season thanks to their All-American candidates.
UNC’s RJ Davis is a speedy assassin with a flamethrowing jumper, while Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson is a metronome of production in the paint. They’re extremely different players, but they could each lay claim to their conference’s respective Player of the Year awards.
The Heels enter on the heels of a closer-than-expected home debut against in-state foe Elon. UNC trailed 71-69 with under seven minutes left in that game, and though the Tar Heels extended out to a 14-point win, the game was significantly closer than that.
What was most concerning, though, was UNC's struggles at the rim and on the glass. The Tar Heels’ interior rotation was the subject of much discussion this offseason, and the early returns were not great.
Against a much smaller team, UNC shot just 39.6% inside the arc, underscoring its lack of interior threats. And Elon essentially played UNC to a draw on the glass, with a final tally of 43-40.
Both of those are massive areas of concern against Dickinson, KJ Adams Jr. and dynamic freshman big man Flory Bidunga. Dickinson can score at will against one-on-one coverage, and that trio is big enough to gobble up boards if UNC does not bring more physicality in the paint.
Jalen Washington is long and athletic and Ven-Allen Lubin is a competitor, but if Jae’Lyn Withers is UNC’s best rebounder, the Tar Heels could get smacked on the glass.
Fortunately, the Tar Heels have an electric collection of guards. Davis is the headliner, but Elliot Cadeau is an elite table-setter whose jumper looks significantly improved.
Seth Trimble was the star of UNC’s exhibition and can score inside or out. Cade Tyson is a volcanic shooter (in theory, at least), and Hubert Davis can also turn to highly-ranked freshmen Ian Jackson (scoring-minded wing) and Drake Powell (mega athlete) when he wants.
KU has one of the country’s best perimeter defenders in Dajuan Harris Jr., and he will likely get the assignment of chasing around Davis.
But the rest of the Jayhawks' perimeter players are unproven as stoppers; Rylan Griffen looks the part, but he has yet to earn a shutdown reputation. That could set Trimble up for a huge game.
Kansas undoubtedly has some concerns there. With Elmarko Jackson already out for the season, Jamari McDowell redshirting and Shakeel Moore banged up (missed the opener), the Jayhawks’ rotation is already thinning.
Emergency portal pickup David Coit actually started the opener over both Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr.
Both Mayo and Storr are better players, but Mayo must prove he can handle high-level competition after struggling against it at South Dakota State. And Storr is infamously already in Self’s doghouse, with the legendary coach giving multiple quotes about Storr still figuring out how he fits into KU’s system.
KU’s other primary deficiency is guarding ball screens with Dickinson on the court. He’s a slow-footed giant who must be deployed in drop coverage, and that opens up pull-up jumpers for Davis, Cadeau and Trimble.
Expect UNC to repeatedly attack Dickinson in the pick-and-roll, hoping to force help or simply live on a diet of makeable mid-range shots.
Between KU’s interior dominance and the slight shakiness of KU’s defense beyond Harris and Adams, both teams should be able to find the bucket. Both teams are also deadly in transition, so expect this game to ping pong back and forth at a high pace.
That leads me to betting the over.
Pick: Over 159
