The Twine: Kansas Jayhawks are the Men’s College Basketball National Champions
NEW ORLEANS (BVM) – The Kansas Jayhawks are the 2022 NCAA Tournament champions after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 in the championship game on April 4. The win gave Kansas their fourth national championship, putting them in a tie for the fifth most national championships for a program with University of Connecticut while trailing only UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke and Indiana.
The win did not come easy for Kansas as it took a historic comeback to secure the victory. After being down by as many as 16 points in the first half and trailing 40-25 at the half, the Jayhawks came roaring back thanks to efficient shotmaking and strong defense. The Jayhawks scored 47 points in the second half while shooting 44% from the field throughout the game. On the defensive end, Kansas held UNC to just 29 second half points and 31% shooting from the field throughout the game. Though the Jayhawks were outrebounded by 20 on boards, with 35 to the Tar Heels’ 55, they were able to overcome the deficit by hitting over 35% from beyond the 3-point line while adding six steals.
The standout player for Kansas was David McCormack who had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds with a steal and a block. Guard Christian Braun also had a strong performance with a double-double of his own (12 points and 12 rebounds) though his best work wouldn’t show up on the statsheet as his defensive effort held UNC standout Caleb Love to a porous 5-for-24 from the field and only 13 points.
The Jayhawks have now further built their program’s reputation with yet another championship victory and Kansas head coach Bill Self also helped his own legacy by becoming just the 16th coach to ever win multiple national titles. With another strong recruiting class making its way to Lawrence, Kansas next year, expect the Jayhawks to once again be in the thick of things during the 2022-23 basketball season.
