Kansas looked dead in the water during the first half of Monday’s national championship game, but they proved their mettle with an impressive comeback.
The Jayhawks got out to an early 7-0 lead against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament title game. The game was close thereafter, and even tied at 22 with 6:08 left in the first half. But that’s when UNC went on a run.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 16 and went into halftime leading 40-25. Kansas looked done and buried, but they weren’t deterred. They scored the first two baskets of the second half and began to chip away at the margin.
Kansas got it down to a 1-point game with 12:41 left and finally retook the lead on a Remy Martin 3-pointer with 10:23 left to make it 53-50.
Kansas didn’t waste all their energy just making the comeback, either. They went ahead and stayed ahead for most of the final 10 minutes. UNC did retake the lead with 1:41 left on a Brady Manek shot to make it 69-68, but David McCormack buried the Tar Heels with a pair of buckets late to win the game 72-69.
In the end, Kansas wound up with the biggest comeback ever in NCAA Tournament championship game history. KU looked like the best team throughout the tournament. They cemented that point with a great comeback, showing they can win as a frontrunner, or as a comeback story.
What an impressive tournament run for the Jayhawks. This marks Bill Self’s second championship at KU and the fourth championship overall for Kansas.
