UNC vs. Gonzaga: Game Time, Prop Odds and Predictions for NCAA Championship

After a wild duo of Final Four games, Gonzaga and North Carolina will face off in the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game.

Here's a look at the schedule, some talk about NCAA tournament prop odds and predictions for Monday's contest.

Schedule

Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Odds
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 1 Gonzaga	Monday, April 3	9:20 p.m.	CBS	UNC (-1.5)

Prop Odds

The championship game prop odds are not available just yet, but it's interesting to look back at the ones offered before the NCAA tournament, per OddsShark.

One prop already has an answer, as folks who picked "Yes" at +120 for the prop "Will a No. 1 seed win the NCAA men's championship" are collecting their money. Both Gonzaga and North Carolina are No. 1 seeds, so this one is in the books. Folks who bet $10 will make a $12 profit.

Gonzaga and North Carolina were the clear favorites to win their regionals, as they had +160 and +135 odds respectively.

Although South Carolina did not make the championship game, it's interesting to note that it had +2500 odds to win the East region, meaning a $10 bet would return $250.

Predictions

Although predictions for the college basketball postseason have largely seemed futile given how chaotic the men's and women's NCAA tournaments and men's NIT have been this year, there is one pick to at least feel some confidence about making for Monday.

Namely, this game should go down to the wire, much like both Final Four games.

In some respects, UNC and Gonzaga look like mirror images of one another. Both teams have stout big men, deep benches, players who can score in bunches and great offenses (UNC is joint-sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency, and Gonzaga is 12th, per KenPom.com).

Gonzaga is the better defensive team (the Bulldogs are first in adjusted defensive efficiency, and the Tar Heels are 17th), but UNC is the better rebounding team (it leads Division I in rebounding margin).

This is a hard game to call. North Carolina is only a 1.5-point favorite, per OddsShark, and the guess here is the teams stay within single digits for the entire 40 minutes.

But there are two X-factors.

First, UNC junior point guard Joel Berry II is dealing with nagging ankle injuries. Berry was fantastic this season, but the ailments have slowed him down in postseason play. Outside of an 8-of-13 shooting performance against Butler in the Sweet 16, Berry has made just nine of 47 shots for a 19.1 percent field-goal rate in the NCAA tournament.

Second, Kennedy Meeks, who is on fire and led UNC to its last two NCAA tournament wins, is going to face his toughest challenge of the season on Monday, as seven-foot Bulldogs centers Przemek Karnowski and Zach Collins, as well as the 6'9", 228-pound forward Johnathan Williams, will pose stiff and physical tests. 

Meeks is a massive part of UNC's success. He scored 25 points (on 11-of-13 shooting) and grabbed 14 boards against Oregon in the Final Four.

To paraphrase UNC head coach Roy Williams in an interview with CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson after the Tar Heels' Final Four win over Oregon, UNC wouldn't have even been in the game without Meeks. UNC shot just 25.4 percent from the field outside the big man.

It's hard seeing Meeks having yet another big game on Monday thanks to that aforementioned Gonzaga trio, and unless Berry breaks out of his slump, it's harder to see UNC winning this game.

Gonzaga is the pick to win by a couple buckets.

Pick: Gonzaga