NCAAB Final Four: Kansas vs. North Carolina
Posted on April 3, 2008 | 8:40 AM ET Filed under:The Final Four nightcap on Saturday night pits the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (35-3 straight up, 21-15 against the spread) against the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (36-2 SU, 24-11 ATS). North Carolina is 4-0 ATS at the big dance, winning by double digits every time, while Kansas is 3-1 ATS after squeaking by Davidson (+9.5) in the Elite Eight.
The Jayhawks will be the underdogs for the first time this season, getting 3.5 points from North Carolina. Kansas has been excellent all year at both ends of the court, propelled by the emergence of power forward Darrell Arthur (12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds per game). His task, in part, will be to neutralize North Carolina center/forward and Wooden Award favorite Tyler Hansbrough.
It’s not an easy task. Hansbrough is good for 23.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, and his determination level at the big dance has been exemplary. Kansas can’t afford to have Arthur foul out; he’ll get some help from the two-headed monster of Darnell Jackson (12.2 points, 6.9 boards) and Sasha Kaun (.629 field goal percentage) at center. Jackson is the starter and the top rebounder for Kansas, but Kaun is three inches taller at 6-foot-11 and registers a block on 8.6 percent of possessions compared to 2.5 percent for Jackson.
But North Carolina is much more than a one-man show. Shooting guard Wayne Ellington has stepped up as a sophomore with 16.6 points per game, hitting 41.4 percent of his trey attempts. The Hansbrough-Ellington axis makes the Heels deserving favorites to reach the finals.
Tip-off from San Antonio is at 8:45 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
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