NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 04: The Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 04, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisian NEW ORLEANS - Best.
Comeback. Ever. Sounds pretty good next to Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.What looked like a lost cause turned into one of the sweetest wins ever for Kansas.The Jayhawks brought their fourth NCAA title back to Allen Fieldhouse on Monday thanks to a second-half flurry that erased a 16-point deficit and eventually overcame North Carolina 72-69 in an epic battle of power programs.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."We just locked in as a family, as a team, and that’s what we do," said Kansas big man David McCormack, after making last two baskets of the game. "We overcome the odds.
We overcome adversity. We’re just built 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 final four shots, including Caleb Love’s desperation 3 at the buzzer.
His heave came up short after officials ruled that Kansas guard DaJuan Harris Jr., stepped out on an inbounds pass with 4.3 seconds left.The Tar Heels went scoreless over the final 1:41.