NEW ORLEANS – Kansas started the biggest comeback in national championship history on Saturday night, a big game from David McCormack, a crucial shot from Remy Martin and a North Carolina Caleb Love survival tie from a 3-pointer that missed the market for 72. 69 wins in Superdome.
Senior-loaded Jayhawks trailed Tar Hills 40-25 at halftime before rallying for their fourth national title and second for coach Bill Self on the same floor, where they lost to Kentucky in the title game a decade ago.
David McCormack’s attacking rebound and stick-back gave the Jokes a 70-69 lead with 1:16 remaining. And after Armando Beckett turned the ball over to the other end, his sprained ankle was finally out of the semifinals, with McCormack adding another basket with 22.3 seconds left to give Kansas some breathing space.
Caleb Love and Puff Johnson both missed shots for Tar Hill that could tie the game, but Jehoks gave North Carolina another chance when Dajuan Harris went out of bounds with 4.3 seconds left.
The close-up shot of the win at Buzzer came very briefly and the Jayhawks flocked to the court to celebrate their dramatic return. It took on Kentucky, who dropped to 10 to beat Utah in the 1998 title game.