Kansas was 16 points behind UNC in the first half and dropped 15 at halftime. According to the NCAA, the return of 16 points is the largest in the history of the title game. In addition, according to the NCAA, the previous record for the longest half-time deficit surpassed in a men’s title match was 10, from Kentucky vs. Utah in 1998. The Jayhawks came out shooting after half time, finally erasing the lead of the Tar Heels with less than 11 minutes to play. A back-and-forth battle ensued with the game drawing 65-65 with 3 minutes remaining. Kansas soon had a 3-point lead slowly and turned the ball with less than 5 seconds left when Dajuan Harris Jr. went out of bounds, giving the ball back to UNC. But one last reversal by Caleb Love was out of the question. This was the 10th appearance in the title game for Kansas and the third under coach Bill Self. This is his second title, the other is coming in 2008.
The teams traveled different paths in the title game
The two brilliant programs took very different paths this season to reach the championship game. UNC with 8th place was the clear underdog despite the success history of the recognized team, which includes six national titles. The leader of the Tar Heels is coach Hubert Davis, who is spending his first year in the role at UNC. He took over the baton from Roy Williams, who retired after 18 seasons at UNC and Kansas 15 years ago. UNC was a team that was in the bubble just over a month ago, but a series of victories in the last season achieved a place in the tournament. Then came the March madness, as UNC upset the No. 1 seed Baylor in overtime and ended the incredible St. Cinderella series. Peter’s with 15 seeds in Elite Eight. They followed those who had a slower opponent of Duke on Saturday, sending legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski to retire with defeat – and inspiring tens of thousands of fans at Chapel Hill in stormy celebrations that left 10 injured. Kansas, No. 1 seed, had a less adventurous journey into the title game. The Jayhawks survived close matches with Creighton and Providence in the previous rounds, and left late in a 10-game showdown with Miami to reach the Final Four. On Saturday, Kansas was preceded by a wire rope against Villanova No. 2 in a comfortable 81-65 victory, boosted by three-point shots from senior guard Ochai Agbaji and junior guard Christian Braun. Senior striker David McCormack scored 25 points with just 12 shots and second striker Jalen Wilson added another 11 points and 12 rebounds to victory. The Jayhawks lost the title game in 2012 and were one of the favorites in 2020 before the tournament was canceled due to Covid-19. UNC has won six national titles in its history, including 2005, 2009 and 2017. Both UNC and Kansas relied on the steadfast hands of the upper echelons in a sport often defined by freshmen on their way to the NBA. The Tar heels showed the ability to score the rebounds of the young striker Armando Bacot, the great man who leads the team with 16 points per game. He had 21 rebounds against Duke on Saturday and 22 against St. Peter as the UNC garnered plenty of second-chance chances. However, Bacot injured his ankle against Duke and could be limited to the title game. The UNC line-up also includes three other players with an average of at least 13 points per game in senior striker Brady Manek and second-year guards RJ Davis and Caleb Love. Love was the protagonist of the UNC tournament and scored the team’s best 28 points in the victory over Duke, including a three-pointer outside the dribbling with 25 seconds left to seal the victory. Kansas, meanwhile, relied on Agbaji’s amazing shot, which shot 41% from the 3-point range this season and led the team to scoring around 19 points per game. The Jayhawks use an inside-out game as they spread a series of snipers around McCormack’s 10-foot presence in color. They also rely on stretches on striker Mitch Lightfoot, a 6th year senior and role player, who, along with 5th senior Chris Teahan, are the only players left from the 2018 Kansas Final Four team. Their presence is only possible because the NCAA has granted an additional year of eligibility to all winter sports athletes due to the pandemic. CNN’s Jill Martin and Travis Caldwell contributed to this report.
