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UNC Basketball: 3 keys to beat Kansas in 2022 National Championship game

By Cooper Watson

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 02: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on in the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 02: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on in the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Hubert Davis UNC Basketball (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Hubert Davis UNC Basketball (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

UNC Basketball has fought its way to the winning side of arguably the biggest game in the history of one of the most storied rivalries in American sports. Not only did the Tar Heels ruin Mike Krzyzewski’s final game in Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5 — they also ended his career with a Final Four win over the Blue Devils on Saturday night.

Hubert Davis is now the only first-year head coach in Division I history to make the National Championship. He can also become the first coach in his first season with a particular program to make the National Championship since Tubby Smith did it with Kentucky in 1998.

Having said that, Kansas is the betting favorite to win this game, and for good reason. The Jayhawks won both the regular season and tournament titles in the Big 12 — arguably the best conference in college basketball this season.

Bill Self’s squad has the talent to win it all but also has a sense of revenge on behalf of the 2019-20 team. That Kansas team finished the season at 28-3 and on a 16-game win streak before the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. This year’s team is trying to carve its own legacy while also fighting to make up for the unfortunate circumstances of that 2019-20 season.

North Carolina and Kansas have played 11 times over the course of their storied histories, with Carolina holding a 6-5 advantage all time. That said, Kansas has a 4-2 advantage in the NCAA Tournament, including three straight wins over the last 15 seasons.

Here are the keys for the Tar Heels to break the Jayhawks’ head-to-head winning streak in New Orleans on Monday night:

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