The Kansas Jayhawks Overcame a 38-22 Deficit to Win the Championship
The Kansas Jayhawks were not deterred by the initial difficulties they were having and completed the largest comeback in the history of the national championship, overcoming the 16-point deficit to win 72-69. The victory gave coach Bill Self his second national title, which was the Jayhawks’ fourth title. Kansas’s Ochai Agbaji got to be named Most Oustanding Player.
Kansas Had a Fast Start, Difficult Middle, and Strong Final
The Jayhawks started fast with a 9-3 lead at the first media timeout after a dominant defensive play and accurate shooting. UNC responded fast with a flurry of its own and got back into the game. There was a second-chance basket from Leaky Black, and Armando Bacot did what he was doing throughout the tournament – scoring. Kansas legends Paul Pierce and Mario Chalmers were clearly pleased with the Jayhawks’ performance. Brady Manek later sparked a UNC run with back-to-back triples, giving the Tar Heels breathing room to go on.
From there, North Carolina went on an 18-3 run, going to a 40-25 lead into the halftime. Kansas then started the second half strongly, getting back into the game with a 20-6 run, cutting a 15-point halftime deficit to one in the second half. Kansas took back the lead, and neither team conceded the game, ensuring that the emotions were still running high. In the end, the Jayhawks got on top thanks to David McCormack, who recorded 12 rebounds and 15 points. He also scored the final game-sealing points for Kansas, making the Jayhawks the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament national champions. Notably, the last two champions have come out of the Big 12.