Jayhawks Shock The Tar Heels
April 11, 2022
The Kansas Jayhawks have defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 to claim the sixth national title in program history. The game took place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Jayhawks were able to pull off the impossible, battling down from 16 points to win the title.
Kansas, seemed lost in the first half, shooting an abysmal 30% and 28% from three.
North Carolina took advantage of the struggling Jayhawks offense and went into the half leading 41-25.
Kansas flipped the script in the second half, erasing the lead within ten minutes to tie it 50-50.
The Tar Heels would hang in the game with the two teams exchanging leads.
North Carolina received one last chance to tie the game with 4.3 seconds left, but an airball from guard Caleb Love sealed the deal.
Kansas was led by duo forwards Jalen Wilson and David McCormack who both scored 15 points. Guard Christian Braun led the team in rebounds with 12 total rebounds.
For North Carolina, they were led by forward Armando Bacot, who played through a right ankle injury, scored 15 points with 15 rebounds and two assists.
UNC guard RJ Davis had 15 points with 12 rebounds and two assists. Love had 13 points with three rebounds and two assists.
Kansas claims their first title since 2008, when they also won under coach Bill Self.
The game also made history becoming the most watched NCAA Basketball Final in television history racking up an average of 18.1 million viewers.
Viewership of the game was 4% higher than last year’s Baylor-Gonzaga championship game.
The game also ranked as the third most watched college basketball game of all time.
This year’s March Madness ranked as the most watched tournament since 1994.
Kansas, will look to repeat next year when the new season kicks off in Nov.
Next year’s National Championship will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.