Kansas just might surprise bettors

Today’s Final Four game between North Carolina and Kansas will feature a matchup of two of the nation’s most athletic college basketball teams, who are not expected to have any trouble scoring points,

The Tar Heels (36-2), who average nearly 90 points, are favorites by three points over the Jayhawks, who average 80.3 points.

But after four easy victories to advance to the Final Four, North Carolina has emerged as the betting favorite, according to various sportsbetting boards.

At Wagerline.com, North Carolina had gained 70.8% (1,457-601) of the bets against the spread as of Friday morning and an early week report at VegasInsider.com had the Tar Heels getting a whopping 95% of the bets against the spread.

Although North Carolina -- which has won each tournament game by at least 10 points -- has been getting plenty of love with bettors, Kansas could be primed for an upset.

The Jayhawks are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games as an underdog and 4-1 against the spread in their last five neutral-site games.

The difference maker for the Jayhawks may well be on defense. With a versatile group of hard-working defenders setting the pace, the under has won six consecutive under/over totals in Kansas’ NCAA tournament games.

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Here are several interesting proposition bets regarding today’s UCLA vs. Memphis Final Four semifinal, available at Sportsbetting.com: First team to score 10 points: Memphis (-120) or UCLA (-110); First team to score 20 points: Memphis (+125) or UCLA (-105); Largest lead of the game: (either team) over 12.5 points (-115) or under 12.5 points (-115); UCLA total points: Over 66.5 points (-115) or under 66.5 points (-115); Memphis total points: Over 68.5 (-115) or under 68.5 (-115).

Memphis’ Derrick Rose total points: Over 17 (-115) or under 17 (-115); UCLA’s Kevin Love combined total points and rebounds: Over 29 (-125) or under 29 (-105); Will UCLA’s Darren Collison miss a free throw: Yes (+135) or No (-170).

Hockey

The Ducks and Kings will play for the final time this season when they face off at Staples Center this afternoon.

Although the Ducks (45-27-8) have a superior record than the Kings (32-42-7) on ice, they trail their Southern California neighbors when it comes to spread numbers.

The Ducks are 36-44 against the goals spread compared to the Kings’ 47-34, which is due to the high number of one-goal victories for the Ducks this season.

The Stanley Cup champions have often won games but failed to cover when they were listed as 1.5-goal favorites. The Ducks’ last four victories have been by a single goal.

Boxing

Boxing bettors who like longshots have a good one today in middleweight Jamie Pittman, who is listed as a +400 underdog against Felix Sturm. The World Boxing Assn. bout will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany, with Sturm listed as a -600 favorite.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com