The Kansas Jayhawks are national champions for the fourth time in school history.

Kansas defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 in a thrilling 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Monday. David McCormack, Jalen Wilson and Remy Martin led the way for the winners, who were the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region and won the title for the first time since 2008.

They also made history by overcoming a 16-point deficit, which was the the biggest comeback in the history of national championship games.

Strong performances from Armando Bacot, RJ Davis and Brady Manek weren’t enough for the Tar Heels, who were the No. 8 seed in the East Region and failed to tie the Wildcats of Villanova of 1985 as the lowest-ranked team to ever win. a national championship.

A win would have given North Carolina its seventh national title in school history, but Caleb Love’s potential three-way tie at the buzzer was off.

Notable Player Stats

• David McCormack, F, KAN: 15 PTS, 10 CER
• Jalen Wilson, F, KAN: 15 PTS, 4 CER
• Christian Braun, G, KAN: 12 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST
• Remy Martin, G, KAN: 14 PTS, 3 CER, 4 of 6 3PT
• Armando Bacot, F, UNC: 15 PTS, 15 REB
• RJ Davis, G, UNC: 15 PTS, 12 CER
• Brady Manek, F, UNC: 13 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK

Second-half magic propels Kansas to title

Kansas basketball history since its 2008 national championship has been one of what could have been on stages like Monday’s. After all, he’s lost one National Title match, one Final Four loss, three Elite Eight losses and two Sweet 16 losses since he last cut the nets.

It seemed to be more or less the same with a litany of errors from the start on Monday.

Martin didn’t shy away from throwing ill-advised shots from the bench, several poor inbound passes to McCormack on the block erased scoring opportunities and the defense struggled to bounce back and work through the screens so that Manek was hitting with open eyes.

The frontcourt was also an issue with Wilson missing several easy looks around the rim and Mitch Lightfoot in immediate trouble as he was physically overwhelmed by Bacot. McCormack also committed a second foul before halftime, hitting Davis on a three-pointer in transition as Jayhawk’s costly error theme continued.

Just when it felt like everything was going badly for the Big 12 representative, everything started to go well.

Kansas was keen to come out in transition and attack early in the shot clock, which led to multiple looks for Christian Braun and Wilson. He also upped the defensive intensity to create turnovers and generate those opportunities, and a three-pointer from Martin and a one-and-one on the break from Wilson gave the Jayhawks a shocking six-point lead with a 31-10 run for begin Part Two.

Martin’s individual turnaround mirrored that of the team, as he put his early struggles behind him with several triples – including a clutch on Bacot in the final three minutes – an assist off a Wilson three and an impressive finish on the rim while keeping up his team’s momentum. while Braun and Wilson also continued to play well.

Still, it was McCormack who made the biggest shots of them all and completed the comeback with back-to-back baskets down the stretch to give Kansas the three-point lead that proved to be the championship-winning margin. .

North Carolina dominates the first half

It’s a testament to the importance of the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina that a national title game almost seemed like an undercard for the Tar Heels after their dramatic victory on Saturday. However, a lingering concern ahead of Monday’s contest was depth.

That was especially the case since Bacot injured his ankle on Saturday and was clearly below 100% working early against the Jayhawks. To his credit, he not only fought, but actually thrived when the ACC rep took control on his way to a 15-point halftime lead.

Bacot went chest to chest with McCormack on both ends and smashed the offensive glass as North Carolina consistently created second-chance points. He immediately established himself as a striking threat on the blocks with 12 points at intermission.

It was far from a one-man show, however, as Manek similarly battled through several elbows to the head to find his through ball with three first-half triples. Add Davis contributing to the boards and getting to the free throw line from the backcourt to go with a solid team-wide defense, and the Tar Heels were in full control.

Until they are no longer.

The version of North Carolina that blew a 25-point second-round lead against Baylor made an untimely appearance in the second half, but this time was unable to save itself in overtime. Leaky Black committed a fourth foul, Love and Davis continued to miss shots and return the ball, Bacot went icy from the field and the huge lead was suddenly a six-point deficit 10 minutes into the second half -weather.

The Tar Heels responded with an unlikely contender, as Puff Johnson hit a three and finished to the rim twice to keep them close. However, he had to leave the game after being doubled on the floor, and the offense turned into Love forcing the issue on a number of possessions.

It seemed fitting that Love missed two threes in the final 15 seconds as he was an ugly 5 of 24 from the field, which – with Bacot’s exit after rolling his ankle attacking the basket – ended any chance of a late comeback for North Carolina after snuffing out what seemed like an insurmountable lead.