Kansas Returns Against North Carolina to Claim Fourth NCAA Men’s Basketball Title | CBC Sports

The Jayhawks brought their fourth NCAA title to Allen Fieldhouse on Monday thanks to a second-half flurry that erased a 16-point deficit and ultimately beat North Carolina 72-69 in an epic battle of power programs.

It was the biggest comeback in national championship history, topping the 1963 title game when Loyola overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Cincinnati at the buzzer, 60-58.

“We just come together as a family, as a team, and that’s what we do,” Kansas big man David McCormack said after scoring the final two baskets of the game. “We beat the odds. We beat adversity. We’re just made for this.”

McCormack scored the go-ahead bucket from close range with 1:21 left, then another at the 22-second mark to put the Jayhawks ahead by three.

North Carolina missed its last four shots, including Caleb Love’s desperate 3-pointer at the buzzer. His pitch fell short after officials ruled that Kansas guard DaJuan Harris Jr. went out on an in-bounds pass with 4.3 seconds left.

The Tar Heels went scoreless in the final minute at 1:41. They couldn’t find an answer for KU during the last 20 minutes.

“They were dipping in and doing what they wanted,” Love said.

After McCormick’s go-ahead basket, Love drove to the basket but his shot was blocked. North Carolina grabbed an offensive rebound and passed the ball to Armando Bacot under the bucket. But he lost his balance and knocked it over, then limped off the court, unable to return.

“I thought I really got the angle I wanted and then I sprained my ankle,” Bacot said.

That put not-so-good defender Brady Manek on top of McCormack, and the Kansas big man backed up Manek for the shot that put the Jayhawks ahead by three.

“When we needed a basket, we went to Big Dave, and he delivered,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, who has two of the program’s four championships.

McCormack and Jalen Wilson led KU with 15 points apiece. Christian Braun scored 10 of his 12 in the second half and transfer Remy Martin scored 11 of his 14 in the final 20 minutes. The Jayhawks outscored Carolina 47-29 in the second half.

“When we saw our own blood, we didn’t panic and came out hot in the second half,” Self said. “I was thinking at the 14-minute mark, ‘There’s no way these guys can play 20 minutes defensively like this,’ but they did it.”

The Tar Heels shot 11 for 40 in the second half.

But it was Kansas that couldn’t buy a basket late in the first half, when Carolina went over and around the Jayhawks during a 16-0 run. The Tar Heels led 40-25 at halftime. Then top-seeded KU (34-6) began catching and pressing more, moving the ball on offense, and Carolina began to prove what everyone else has this season: You can’t stop them all.

The Jayhawks went on a 31-10 run to take a six-point lead in the 10th minute and put together a fantastic finish.

Bacot had 15 points and 15 rebounds to become the first player to record double-doubles in all six tournament games. He finished the season with 31 double-doubles, but it wasn’t enough. Carolina was trying to join 1985 Villanova as the second 8th seed to win March Madness.

Instead, the Tar Heels (29-10) fell one win short and fell to 6-6 all-time in title games. This was his record 21st, and possibly most unlikely, trip to the Final Four. They reached the final by beating Duke in a back-and-forth thriller and sending Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement.

“I can’t remember a time in my life when I should be disappointed,” said UNC rookie coach Hubert Davis, who was trying to become the first person to lead a team to a title in his first full year as head coach. “But I am filled with so much pride.”

A great season, but the banner will hang in Lawrence.

And McCormack, thanks to his heroism in the last few games, will go down in KU history, along with Mario Chalmers (2008), Danny Manning (and the miracles in 1988) and the rest of the Kansas greats.

This title took three years to make. KU was 28-3 and the odds-on favorite heading into March 2020. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and brought both the Jayhawks and the season to a halt.

Seven players from that list are also on this one. In some of their minds there was no “what could have been” about 2020: they knew they would have won it. Instead, they won this one and proved, once again, that it’s never good to write them off.

While this wasn’t the 47-15 thrashing they dealt Miami over the final 20 minutes of the Elite Eight, it was impressive given the circumstances.

Ochai Agbaji, who was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, finished with 12 points and found breathing room after UNC shooting guard Leaky Black committed his fourth foul 6 minutes into the second half.

“This is a special group of guys,” Agbaji said. “We’re going to go down in history. All I have to say is, ‘Rock Chalk, baby.'”