The NCAA tournament concluded brilliantly last night. The past three weeks of the tournament have seen unlikely triumphs, incredible performances, and last-second victories that led to last night’s championship game.
The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 to win the 2022 national championship. The Kansas Jayhawks earned their fourth national title in program history and the second in head coach Bill Self’s career.
Before last night’s emotional victory, the last time Kansas won the national title was in 2008. Despite the long title drought, the Kansas Jayhawks have been one of the most consistent programs in the nation. Kansas has won the Big 12 Conference regular-season title twelve times and earned seven number one seeds in the NCAA tournament.
The Jayhawks were motivated to win the title by their 2019-20 team. The 2019-20 Kansas Jayhawks ended the season ranked number one in the country, led by All-Americans Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, the NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This season, Kansas was again a favorite to win the national title. Kansas won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, earning a number one seed in the tournament. The Jayhawks cruised through the Midwest regional, beating their opponents by an average of 16.25 points, advancing to the final four.
When the Jayhawks advanced to New Orleans, they matched up with the Villanova Wildcats. The Wildcats have ended the Jayhawks' title hopes twice in the past six seasons, defeating Kansas in the elite eight in 2016 64-59 and the final four in 2018 95-79.
This season was different as Kansas cruised past Villanova 81-65 to advance to their first national title game since 2012. Kansas matched up with North Carolina, who had made the title game as an eight seed after defeating archrival Duke. The Tar Heels were playing their best basketball of the season, but Kansas was a different team.
Kansas found themselves in a hole, trailing 40-25 at halftime. When a seventh national title looked promising for North Carolina, the Jayhawks clawed their way back into the game. The game consisted of missed opportunities, with both teams shooting under forty-five percent from the field.
The Jayhawks came back from sixteen down to win 72-69, completing the largest comeback in the national title game ever. First-team All-American Ochai Agbaji was named the NCAA tournament's most outstanding player and had plenty of help from David McCormack, who contributed fifteen points and ten rebounds.
Kansas is back on top and finally earned the fourth national title that eluded them for so long. Kansas will begin their national title defense next season while the rest of the nation looks to dethrone the Jayhawks. For now, the Jayhawks will reap the benefits of their hard work this season and are national champions.