UNC vs. Gonzaga 2017: Odds Advice and Key Player Predictions for Championship

The Final Four matchups did not disappoint as each game went down to the wire, symbolizing what has been an exciting NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Gonzaga and North Carolina will now battle for the national championship on Monday at 9:20 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are looking for their first-ever title (in fact, they've never been to the championship game before), while UNC is looking to add a sixth trophy to its case.

Here's a look at the entire NCAA tournament bracket, some odds advice and predictions for three key players on each team prior to Monday's national championship.

Bracket

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

Odds Advice

UNC is a two-point favorite over Gonzaga, with an over/under of 153.5 points, per OddsShark.

If junior guard Joel Berry II was healthy, then to be honest I wouldn't even consider betting this game against the spread at all. It would simply be too close to call.

But Berry is unfortunately hampered by two ankle injuries, and it's clearly affecting his game, specifically his jumper. Against Oregon in the Final Four, Berry shot just 2-of-14 from the field and made five of nine free throws.

It doesn't seem likely that Berry will be at 100 percent on Monday, so the slight edge goes to Gonzaga to win this game straight up. Therefore, take the points in what should be a close contest.

As for the over/under, the Bulldogs have one of the best defenses in the nation, ranking second in field-goal percentage defense. Meanwhile, UNC's offense has sputtered a bit in the tournament, scoring just 72 against Arkansas, 75 against Kentucky and 77 against Oregon, all well below UNC's season average of 85 per game.

Then again, it wouldn't be a surprise to see UNC forward Justin Jackson and Gonzaga point guard Nigel Williams-Goss engage in a shootout, as both players have the capability to pile in points.

The slight edge goes to the under, but it's a gut call. I wouldn't even considering placing an over/under wager.

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks
F Justin Jackson	27	7	5	1	0
F Kennedy Meeks	12	10	1	1	2
G Joel Berry II	12	3	3	1	0

Senior forward Kennedy Meeks has been a man on fire in his last two NCAA tournament games, averaging 16.0 points, 15.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals. However, he's not going to run wild on Monday, as Gonzaga has three big men (including two seven-foot centers) down low who can at least slow Meeks down.

Still, Meeks is playing so well that's it hard to see him playing below his season averages, so the take here is that he puts up a double-double (or something very close to it).

Berry is clearly hobbled by ankle injuries, and the fact that he's even out there giving 100 percent and diving for loose balls is commendable. But the bottom line is he's not going to be pouring in buckets all game as he did at times this season.

That leaves junior Justin Jackson to be Superman on Monday in order for UNC to win this game. And he just might pull it off.

The 6'8", 210-pound forward picked up much of the scoring slack on Saturday, pouring in 22 points and making four three-pointers.

But his stats don't tell the whole story. Jackson simply looked fantastic on Saturday, as his silky smooth jumper was on point from the outside. Oregon had trouble guarding him all night due to his length, specifically on one high-arcing baseline floater at a tough angle.

Jackson is a serious matchup problem for any team, and if he's feeling it, he can approach 30 points.

The guess here is that Jackson's number is called early and often and that he answers the bell.

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks
Nigel Williams-Goss	22	4	6	3	1
Johnathan Williams	13	6	1	1	1
Zach Collins	13	8	0	1	3

Williams-Goss had been struggling from the field in the NCAA tournament before Saturday, making just 19 of his 61 shots.

However, he broke out of his slump against South Carolina in the Final Four, as he made nine of 16 field goals and scored 23 points to lead the Zags to a 77-73 win.

The guess here is that Williams-Goss rides that positive momentum into Monday and leads Gonzaga in scoring again.

As for the next two best performers, expect them to be junior forward Johnathan Williams and freshman center Zach Collins.

Williams is one of the more efficient players in college basketball, as he makes 59.4 percent of his field goals while scoring 10.3 points and grabbing 6.6 rebounds in just 24.3 minutes per game. He was Gonzaga's star against Xavier in the Elite Eight, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight boards to go along with three blocks and two steals.

If he sees a bit more court time on Monday than usual, Williams could be in for a big game.

Collins is the player to watch, especially after his incredible performance against South Carolina. His length was simply too much for the Gamecocks offense, which tried time after time to drive at Collins, only to get stuffed repeatedly. He finished the game with six blocks alongside 14 points and 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes of play.

Collins' length could be a problem against UNC, which doesn't have a player taller than 6'10". Then again, Meeks doesn't need to worry about length when his incredible strength does the work for him down low. Expect both Collins and Meeks to both do well on Monday.