Kansas had its way with Green Bay in the season opener. Now it’s time to face a real test, with a road trip to Chapel Hill, to face North Carolina. Kansas has recorded five straight overall wins over UNC,
though that really has no impact on how this one will unfold.
The game is at 6:00pm Jayhawk Time and will be televised on ESPN. Hopefully you weren’t planning to watch on YouTube TV. The line has moved a little here and there, but as of publishing it sits at UNC -2.5.
KenPom ranks UNC 30th, with Kansas coming in at 19th. Torvik (which I’m starting to like a little more than KenPom), has North Carolina up at 22nd with Kansas 16th. Torvik lists UNC as a three point favorite.
Expect to see a North Carolina team that’s pretty solid on both ends of the floor. In their first game, a 40 point win over Central Arkansas, they scored 1.25 PPP while allowing .72. That’s pure domination, but their opponent wasn’t any better than KU’s Green Bay matchup.
Interestingly, against an inferior opponent, UNC put up nearly 45% of their shots from three, making a respectable 34.5% of them. If that’s how they wanted to play against a low-major, I would imagine they’re ready to let it go from the perimeter again tonight. Junior guard Kyan Evans was 4-7 from deep in game one, so watch him as a player with potential to light it up. Freshman big man Caleb Wilson will no doubt be talked about tonight, after posting 22 points on 10 shot attempts and flashing a little playmaking ability.
Kansas is a team with a lot of great pieces looking to gel. With this being their first matchup against a team with a pulse, and it coming on the road. I won’t be surprised if they come up a few points short. This could be a game where a small difference in three point shot making could swing the game, and UNC seems primed to let it fly. I think we’ll learn a lot about this Kansas team and just how much time is going to be needed for them to hit their stride, but my prediction is that they won’t pick up the resume-building road win in Chapel Hill.
Prediction: UNC 75, Kansas 71
