SHARPEST EDGE SPORTS
MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 – 2 Units
Washington Nationals -1.5 – 1 Unit
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
This season is going to end properly as the two most complete teams in the nation battle for it all in the National Championship. This is what it is supposed to be…the hardest game to call. There is a reason there are no stats involved in this because they are thrown out of the window. These two teams are fairly equally matched. Gonzaga has been dominant all year and they check every box. North Carolina played in the ACC (rough tournament for the conference) so their record isn’t as gaudy but they easily check all of the boxes as well. Gonzaga is DEEP. North Carolina is DEEP. Gonzaga is experienced and loaded with stud transfers. North Carolina is experienced and loaded with high school superstars. The glass and the paint are important for both teams -- because it's a priority for the Zags to go inside to Karnowski, who can score in the post and also pass and get teammates uncontested shots. Karnowski has made defenses collapse all year allowing Williams-Goss, Matthews, Williams and crew to have open looks as they move the ball as good as anybody. North Carolina doesn’t have that problem even though nobody as big as Karnowski, the Tar Heels have absolutely owned the paint with their unbelievable combination of size and athleticism, but they have not faced a team this big especially when Collins plays alongside Karnowski. That is two 7-footers which I don’t even think an NBA can sport each night. Gonzaga has faced 1 team with this kind of depth; West Virginia and they won by 3. North Carolina has a different brand of depth. West Virginia players get minutes because of their style of basketball while North Carolina plays that many players because there is so much talent in the cupboard. Both Gonzaga and North Carolina have had a habit of disappearing for stretches of a game during the tournament. North Carolina did it against Oregon and Gonzaga has done it with Northwestern and South Carolina. They both have balance, experience, size up front and quality guards. However, I think Justin Jackson is the difference in this one. He has stepped up his game significantly from last season and is a prolific scorer who can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways. The Zags have an edge on defense, but their offense has struggled in the tourney as they have averaged just 73.2 points per game and that was against a lesser schedule than the Tar Heels, who have averaged 83.8 points per game versus a tougher slate of games. The Tar Heels have the overall talent edge and the experience factor, plus they will be highly motivated after last year’s last-second loss in this game. The Tar Heels have a slew of guys that felt the heartbreak of last year’s buzzer beating defeat. While both teams are battle tested from earlier tournament games, the Tar Heels experience in the championship game gives them the slimmest of edges and my lean.
North Carolina Tar Heels -1 – 7 Units