NCAA Championship Game: New Kid Crashes the Party

Gonzaga and UNC Have Similar Styles

University of Phoenix Stadium will see the Men's Basketball NCAA Championship game as the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday night. We knew going in that a new kid would crash the party and the championship game would be Old vs. New. Gonzaga and South Carolina battled to see who would battle NCAA Basketball Royalty in North Carolina or Pac -12 stalwart Oregon. We have our answer.

North Carolina has won five titles and is appearing in its record 20th Final Four. Gonzaga is appearing in its first Final Four after spending virtually two decades battling the detractors and pressure of being a very good program in a terrible conference. The programs might hang different kinds of banners in their arenas, but this is a heavyweight matchup for sure. These are two experienced and balancedNo. 1 seeds. They are ready to tangle on Monday at 9:20 p.m.

Oddsmakers opened the Tar Heels as -2-point favorites versus the Bulldogs, while the game's total opened at 154.5. The line is now UNC at -1 and the total climbed to 155.

North Carolina was a 77-76 winner in their semi-final matchup against the Oregon Ducks. They failed to cover the -4.5-point spread as favorites. Justin Jackson averages a team-best 18.3 points. Point guard Joel Berry II, averaging 14.5 points per game. He has been dealing with two balky ankles. He played 35 minutes Saturday night and only shot 2 of 14 from the field.

Gonzaga was a 77-73 winner in semi-final matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks. They failed to cover the -6.5-point spread as favorites. Nigel Williams-Goss is the engine of a Gonzaga attack that shoots 50.8 percent from the field.That is second-best in the country. His 16.9 scoring average leads five players in double figures.

NCAA Championship Betting Trends

Gonzaga:
Team record: 37-1 SU,24-11-2 ATS
Current Streak: won 8 straight games.
Gonzaga is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Gonzaga is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Gonzaga's last 10 games

North Carolina:
Team record: 32-7 SU,20-17-2 ATS
Current Streak: won 5 straight games.
North Carolina is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

Get all of your College Basketball Odds at Bovada Online Sportsbook.