Kansas rallies from 16-point deficit to win NCAA title
RJ Davis is consoled after North Carolina's 72-69 loss to Kansas on Monday night in the NCAA championship game. Credit: Getty Images/Tom Pennington
NEW ORLEANS — What looked like a lost cause turned into one of the sweetest wins ever for Kansas.
The Jayhawks won their fourth NCAA title on Monday night, erasing a 16-point first-half deficit in a 72-69 victory over North Carolina.
It was the largest comeback in national championship history, surpassing the 1963 title game, when Loyola overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Cincinnati at the buzzer, 60-58. The Jayhawks, who trailed 40-25 at halftime, also set the record for biggest halftime deficit overcome. Kentucky rallied from 10 down to beat Utah in 1998.
David McCormack scored the go-ahead bucket from close range with 1:21 left, then hit a jump hook at the 22-second mark to put the Jayhawks (34-6) ahead by three.
North Carolina missed its final four shots, including Caleb Love’s desperation three-pointer at the buzzer, which came up short. The Tar Heels got that one last shot after officials ruled that Kansas guard DaJuan Harris Jr. stepped on the sideline with 4.3 seconds left after receiving an inbounds pass and racing upcourt.
After scoring 16 straight points to take a 38-22 lead with 2:23 remaining in the first half, the Tar Heels were hit with a 31-10 run in the first 9:52 of the second half that put Kansas ahead 56-50. The Jayhawks capped that stretch by scoring nine straight points in a span of 45 seconds on a pair of three-point plays and a three-pointer.
“They were penetrating and doing whatever they wanted,” Love said.
Brady Manek’s tip gave North Carolina a 69-68 lead with 1:41 left. After McCormick’s go-ahead basket, Love drove but had his shot blocked. North Carolina got an offensive rebound and fed to Armando Bacot under the rim, but he lost his footing and turned it over, then limped off the court, unable to return.
“I thought I really got the angle that I wanted and then I just rolled my ankle,’’ Bacot said.
That put Manek, not as good a defender, on McCormack, and the Kansas big man’s jump hook put the Jayhawks ahead by three.
“When we had to have a basket, we went to Big Dave, and he delivered,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, who won his second title.
McCormack and Jalen Wilson led Kansas with 15 points each. Remy Martin had 11 of his 14 points and Christian Braun scored 10 of his 12 in the second half as the Jayhawks outscored Carolina 47-29. Braun had 12 rebounds and McCormack 10.
“This is a special group of guys,’’ said Ochai Agbaji, who scored 12 points and was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. “We’re going down in history. All I got to say is, ‘Rock Chalk, baby.’ ’’
Bacot had 15 points and 15 rebounds to become the first player to record double-doubles in all six tournament games.
RJ Davis also had 15 points, Manek and Love had 13 each and Puff Johnson added 11. Manek had 13 rebounds and Davis 12.
Carolina (29-10) was trying to join the 1985 Villanova team as the only No. 8 seeds to win the tournament.
“I can’t remember a time in my life where I should be disappointed,’’ said UNC 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.”
Said Self, “I think when you’re the all-time winningest program — just by a small margin — and when the inventor of the game was your first coach, and the likes of Adolf Rupp comes from Kansas and Dean Smith comes from Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain comes from Kansas, the expectations are where being good is OK but it’s not enough.
“Nobody’s ever put pressure on me that we’ve got to win another one, but I think I put pressure on myself knowing that this place deserves more than what we have won.”
