KJ Adams #24, Remy Martin #11, Ochai Agbaji #30 and Christian Braun #2 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after beating North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship in New Orleans.
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Chris Graythen / Getty Images
KJ Adams #24, Remy Martin #11, Ochai Agbaji #30 and Christian Braun #2 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after beating North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship in New Orleans.
Chris Graythen / Getty Images
The Kansas Jayhawks regrouped after the greatest comeback in national championship history Monday against the University of North Carolina to announce NCAA Men’s Championship.
The seed a last stand The Jayhawks took a 15-man lead after halftime to rally for a 72-69 win over Tar Heels in a tight showdown between the two historic shows. It was the fourth NCAA title for the Kansas men’s team.
It was the biggest comeback in national championship history, surpassing the 1963 game when Loyola went 15 points to beat Cincinnati 60-58.
KU coach Bill Self, who won his second championship, said: “We obviously worked really hard at half-time tonight. “But the kids were competitive.”
Tar Heels led 40-25 early in the second half, but Kansas quickly recovered, scoring 20 points in just over seven minutes and closing North Carolina’s lead by a single point.
The two teams continued to fight for the top spot throughout the half. With the game down 1:30, North Carolina once again led by a single point, 69-68, until the Kansas start David McCormack sank a two-pointer, turning the game upside down with Tar Heels.
Tensions continued to mount as North Carolina forward Armando Bacot had to leave the field with a leg injury with just 38 seconds left. McCormack sank two more points shortly after, leading 72-69 and winning the championship for Kansas.
“It was hard to watch us get flustered. The coach challenged us back and we did it,” said Kansas forward Mitch Lightfoot.
Before Monday’s game, Kansas had played 10 national title games. Monday’s game was the fifth time both UNC and Kansas have faced off in the national championship or quarterfinals. The first was in 1957 when the two tripled in the Final Four, with North Carolina topping out 57-56.
“These things don’t fall off the tree, they’re hard to get,” said Self, who is winning UNC 4-0 in the NCAA game. “I think this team can play against any team that Kansas has put on the field.”
