Two of the winningest programs in college basketball history will collide in an early-season battle as the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks host the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday. Kansas, which is coming off a season-opening 87-57 win over Howard, has won an NCAA-record 64 conference championships. UNC, which began its 2024-25 college basketball season with a 90-76 win over Elon, has made a record 21 Final Four appearances. The Jayhawks have won four straight meetings between the two, the last coming in 2022.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks are 8-point favorites in the latest Kansas vs. North Carolina odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 160.5 points, up from opening at 153. Before entering any North Carolina vs. Kansas picks, you'll want to see the latest college basketball predictions from SportsLine expert Thomas Casale.
A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale has been betting -- and winning -- for more than 30 years. He's done well in college basketball, going 341-208 (62.1%) over the last three campaigns. He joined SportsLine in 2024 and promptly went 28-14-1 (67%) in CBB, returning $1,215 to $100 players. Overall, he's on a 23-6 roll on college basketball spread picks, returning more than $1,600. Anyone who has followed him at sportsbooks and on betting apps is way up.
Now, Casale has set his sights on UNC vs. Kansas and made his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Kansas vs. UNC:
- North Carolina vs. Kansas spread: Kansas -8
- North Carolina vs. Kansas over/under: 160.5 points
- North Carolina vs. Kansas money line: Kansas -352, UNC +279
- North Carolina vs. Kansas picks: See picks at SportsLine
- North Carolina vs. Kansas streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why North Carolina can cover
UNC won the ACC regular season a year ago for the first time since 2016-17 as the Tar Heels' 17 ACC wins were the most in school history. They more than held their own in hostile environments, going 8-2 straight-up in away games, including three wins over schools that made the Elite Eight. North Carolina was 7-3 against the spread (ATS) on the road in 2023-24, while Kansas didn't experience much spread success against unfamiliar opponents. The Jayhawks were just 5-9-1 ATS against non-conference foes last season.
After leading the ACC with 21.2 points last season, RJ Davis is on the Preseason All-America First Team for UNC, and Carolina also has lots of talented newcomers. Cade Tyson transferred in from Belmont after ranking second in the country with 46.5% from 3-point range last season. Coach Hubert Davis also landed a pair of 5-star freshmen, and top-12 national recruits, in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell, but UNC also has continuity, which is a rarity in this era of college basketball. All five Tar Heels who started in its season-opening win over Elon returned from last year's team, and those five combined to produce 74 points. See which team to pick here.
Why Kansas can cover
There's a reason why Kansas is the top-ranked team in the land, and much of it has to do with Hunter Dickinson. A two-time All-American, Dickinson ranked among the top two in the Big 12 in both points (17.9) and rebounds (10.9) last season. With him as the anchor, Kansas led the nation in assists last year and ranked 13th nationally in field goal percentage. He is joined by the eighth-ranked incoming class, per 247Sports, highlighted by the No. 4 overall recruit in Flory Bidunga and the reigning Summit League Player of the Year in transfer Zeke Mayo.
Mayo led Kansas in scoring in its opener with 19 points off the bench. Bidunga had 13 points and eight boards as a reserve, while Dickinson filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Meanwhile, in terms of spread success, the Tar Heels haven't had much as underdogs as of late. They have covered in just two of their last nine games as underdogs, which doesn't even include UNC failing to cover in its opener, defeating Elon by 14 points, despite being favored by 27.5 points. See which team to pick here.
How to make North Carolina vs. Kansas picks
Casale has analyzed Kansas vs. North Carolina from every angle and has discovered a critical X-factor that has jumping on one best bet. He's sharing what it is, along with his full analysis, only at SportsLine.
Who wins UNC vs. Kansas, and what is Casale's best bet? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Kansas vs. UNC spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who's 341-208 over the last three college basketball seasons, and find out.
