The Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels will clash in the game of the night in college basketball on Friday. Both teams won their season openers against smaller schools on Monday and they will try to get a statement win against a ranked opponent here as well. Before tip-off from the Dean Dome, you can find my Kansas vs North Carolina prediction below.
Our Kansas vs North Carolina Pick
- Pick: Kansas Moneyline
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Kansas Jayhawks @ North Carolina Tar Heels
- Date & Time: Friday, November 7, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Broadcast: ESPN
Key Storylines
- Both teams started the season with blowout wins. North Carolina crushed Central Arkansas 94‑54. Caleb Wilson poured in 22 points in his Tar Heel debut. Kansas thumped Green Bay 94‑51, getting a 21‑point outing from freshman guard Darryn Peterson. The Jayhawks shot 56.9% from the field in that victory.
- This will be Kansas’s first ever game at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will enjoy home‑court advantage with a raucous home crowd. But Kansas is no stranger to winning in hostile environments as they get everyone's best shot given their history.
- Kansas returns a key piece in sophomore forward Flory Bidunga. They’ve also added highly‑touted freshmen and transfers, including Tre White, who is at his fourth power conference school in four years. North Carolina has also reloaded with youth and transfers, including Caleb Wilson and Kyan Evans.
- The Tar Heels’ defense faces a strong test. They held their opponent to 31.3% shooting on opening night. But Kansas is a much tougher team to stop than the Central Arkansas Bears.
Head‑to‑Head & Betting Trends
- Kansas is 7-6 all-time against North Carolina going into this game.
- Kansas has won five straight games over North Carolina, including the 2022 national championship game.
- Both of these teams covered the spread in their blowout wins over smaller schools to start the season.
- Both teams went under the total in their openers, thanks in large part to the play of their defenses.
Kansas vs North Carolina Model Projection
Score Projection: North Carolina 75 – Kansas 77
Win Probability: North Carolina 48%, Kansas 52%
Final Thoughts
This is going to be a very exciting game between two blue-blood programs. I give Kansas a ton of credit for playing a true road game here when so many other power conference teams won't schedule any road games, let alone one this challenging. I think that Kansas will be rewarded for doing so as they will win this game on the road behind another big game from Bidunga after he scored 23 points in his first game of the season.
Jay Sanin
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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