UNC vs. Gonzaga: Odds and Final Predictions for 2017 NCAA Championship Game

North Carolina and Gonzaga will play on Monday night in an NCAA Division I men's college basketball national championship game that has the potential to be a classic.

Both teams look evenly matched on paper, and it's hard to envision either side winning this game running away.

Here's a look at the entire tournament bracket, the latest schedule and odds and five predictions for Monday.

Bracket

Schedule and Odds

Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	Television	Spread	Over/Under
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 North Carolina	Monday, April 3	9:20 p.m.	CBS	UNC (-2)	153.5

Final Predictions

1. Justin Jackson Has Monster Game

The UNC junior forward looks like a solid future NBA pro as he's averaged 20.2 points per game in the NCAA tournament.

Jackson, who is projected to go 12th in the latest DraftExpress NBA mock draft, needs to carry the offensive load on Monday as his three top-scoring teammates are all battling injury or tough matchups.

Junior point guard Joel Berry II is battling not one, but two ankle injuries, and senior forwards Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks will meet some resistance down low against Gonzaga's seven-foot bigs.

Therefore, Jackson must produce. Given how well he's played in the tournament so far, it's hard to bet against him. Expect Jackson to keep UNC in the game with his sweet shooting.

2. Nigel Williams-Goss Continues Scoring Spree

Likewise, Gonzaga junior point guard Nigel Williams-Goss has been playing well lately. He posted a fantastic effort against South Carolina on Saturday, making nine of 16 field goals for 23 points along with six assists and five boards.

That's an impressive stat line against anyone, but South Carolina is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, ranking third in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.

Williams-Goss also scored 23 points against Xavier in the Elite Eight, so he's feeling it right now. This run should continue through the championship.

3. Meeks Comes Back to Earth But Still Has Big Night

As said before, Meeks has a tough matchup on Monday. He'll be battling down low with 7'1", 300-pound Przemek Karnowski, 7'0", 230-pound center Zach Collins and 6'9", 228-pound forward Johnathan Williams.

But Meeks has been able to hold his own lately against stiff competition. He grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked four shots against Bam Adebayo and the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight, and he scored 25 points, snatched 14 boards and had three steals against junior forward Jordan Bell and the Oregon Ducks.

Both Adebayo and Bell enjoyed fantastic seasons, but the Gonzaga big-man trio is Meeks' hardest test of the year. Meeks should go toe-to-toe with them and could manage a double-double, but he won't be posting gaudy stat lines as he did against UK and UO.

4. Zach Collins Gives UNC Some Big Problems

Of the three aforementioned Gonzaga big men, Collins has the potential to be the most problematic for the Tar Heels.

The freshman's length was a big problem for South Carolina on Saturday, as he scored 14 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked six shots in just 23 minutes of play.

Against a UNC frontcourt that tops out at 6'10", Collins could be a big difference, especially if he sees more court time, as he averages 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in just 17.2 minutes per game.

5. Gonzaga Wins, 77-73

This game, much like the Final Four contests, should go down to the wire. It's also very possible that each team in the national championship, much like the Final Four games, stays in the 70s. The chances are that this game does not turn into a track meet, as both teams have too much talent on defense and down low.

Ultimately, two factors point to a Gonzaga win.

First, Berry, UNC's second-leading scorer, is clearly not 100 percent. It's incredible that he is even playing through two ankle injuries, so much credit goes to him for toughing it out, but his jumper just isn't falling for him right now.

Second, Carolina has had three close games in this tournament: a 77-76 win over Oregon in the Final Four, a 75-73 win over Kentucky in the Elite Eight and a 72-65 victory over Arkansas in the second round in which UNC was losing 65-60 with three minutes left.

Here are Meeks' average stats in those games: 16.7 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks.

Basically, Meeks has had to produce A or even A-plus performances three times for the Tar Heels to win close contests. It's really difficult to see Meeks do that a fourth time on Monday, even with how good he's been playing. The matchup is simply too tough.

Expect this to go down to the last minute, but Gonzaga should win by a couple buckets.