If their most recent matchup is any indication, we're in for a treat with the final contest of the Elite 8 when Kentucky takes on North Carolina. The Wildcats were the eventual winners of an electrifying 103-100 shootout back on December 17th of this season. Kentucky is now on a 14-game winning streak after knocking off UCLA on Friday night. After slipping a bit last weekend, the Tar Heels' offense was back in form in their win over Butler. Tipoff for the South regional final is set for 5:05 PM Eastern time on Sunday afternoon and it will be broadcast on CBS and the March Madness Live app.
No. 2 Kentucky (32-5, 19-17-1 ATS)
The Wildcats had their most impressive win yet in the Ncaa Tournament with an 86-75 win over UCLA. While the Bruins didn't win the Pac-12 regular season or tournament title, they were likely the most exciting team from the conference. Despite the nation reveling in the Ball family saga, that will come to a close at least for now. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the win was Kentucky knocking off the nation's best offense (ranked 2nd in scoring and 1st in assists).
De'Aaron Fox (16.8 ppg, 4.6 apg) led the team with a tremendous 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting. Malik Monk (20.1 ppg) finally got the ball rolling on offense by eclipsing the 20-point mark for the first time since their win over Alabama in the SEC tournament.
No. 1 North Carolina (30-7, 19-15-2 ATS)
After surviving the second round matchup with Arkansas, the Tar Heels looked much more in control with their 92-80 victory over Butler. They dominated the contest with the final score not indicative of the game. North Carolina delivered on offense with a very efficient 54.4 percent shooting and owned a 36-25 rebounding advantage.
Justin Jackson (18.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg) has been the most consistent player in the postseason. He's reached over 20 points in two of his last three games, his recent statline being 24 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists. Joel Berry II (14.7 ppg, 3.6 apg) continues to become more comfortable in the NCAA tournament. After tallying up just 13 points in the first weekend, he had 26 points against Butler.
North Carolina remains a 2.5-point favorite in the contest and the total O/U is set at 152 points. The Tar Heels are 7-3-1 against the spread in their last 11 games overall.
