College Basketball Odds, Picks, Predictions: Kansas vs. UNC Friday

Written By Eli Hershkovich | Last Updated November 9, 2024

Kansas men’s basketball and North Carolina will duel in the Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 8. Both teams appear in the top 15 in media pools and my college basketball power rankings. The Jayhawks are Kansas Jayhawks -1.5 (-112) on DraftKings spread favorites, and the total is lined at 185.5 (-108) on DraftKings. Let’s examine the Kansas vs. UNC odds board to determine whether there’s any value.

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kansas vs. unc odds: spread, moneyline, total

Will Jayhawks Return To Form?

Kansas tipped off the 2024-25 campaign by covering against Howard as 27-point favorites. It was a de facto exhibition game and tune-up for this highly anticipated matchup.

Last season, the Jayhawks were plagued by insufficient shooting and depth. They earned a four-seed in the Big Dance before their blowout loss to Gonzaga in the round of 32. Bill Self nabbed two of the portal’s best shooters, Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama), helping form one of the deepest rosters in the country — at least on paper.

As expected, Self’s rotation is under construction, with Northern Illinois transfer David Coit starting over AJ Storr (Wisconsin) and Mayo. However, Kansas boasts some continuity with 7-foot-2 Hunter Dickinson, an ultra-effective low-post presence, and two-way point guard Dajaun Harris.

Tar Heels’ Shaky Start

While Elon appears improved with TK and TJ Simpkins returning, North Carolina’s season-opening victory didn’t inspire much confidence. RJ Davis’ heroics saved the Tar Heels, scoring 10 of his 24 points in the final 6:35 to stave off a late run.

Granted, ShotQuality estimates that the Phoenix benefited from a dose of shooting luck, but I’m skeptical of UNC’s defensive prospects for the long term. In 2023-24, the Tar Heels profited from their opponents’ 33.4% clip on unguarded jumpers, which ranked in the 91st percentile. To boot, their rim protection could worsen significantly without Armando Bacot.

Even if Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble improve their shooting touch, UNC’s collective warning signs outweigh their upside.

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College Basketball Projections

My college basketball futures betting guide mentions that predicting which fresh faces will meet expectations is difficult. The Jayhawks deserve more scrutiny in that regard.

Nevertheless, the Tar Heels’ interior defense will struggle to defend Dickinson, who ranked in the 93rd percentile of points per possession (PPP) on post-ups last season. With a sizable home-court advantage, my raw numbers gave Kansas a small edge (-7.2) compared to the opening point spread of -7.

As noted, the market quickly bumped up this line. Good luck with your bets on Kansas vs. UNC odds!

kansas vs. unc odds: player props

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