It may have been the best men’s college basketball championship ever played. Or the most exciting. Or the best finish.
Kansas won it, 72-69, on April 4 over North Carolina at New Orleans’ Superdome. The Jayhawks had to make up the largest deficit ever in a championship game – 16 points at 38-22 during the first half. It was 40-25 in North Carolina’s favor at halftime.
Nine minutes into the second half, Kansas’ All-American, Olhai Ajbaji, tied the score at 50 with a basket and ensuing free throw, then Remy Martin fired in a 3-pointer to give Kansas its first lead since the score was 20-18. From there, the lead went back and forth, with each team leading for 18 minutes, 32 seconds in the game.
With 1:42 left, Brady Manek rebounded his own miss and made a short shot to put North Carolina up, 69-68. It was the Tar Heels’ last lead.
Shortly after, a confident Armando Bacot was dribbling down court when he apparently slipped on a wet spot and lost the ball as he fell. Kansas recovered and got the ball to David McCormack. He missed a short shot, but rebounded and made his second attempt to put the Jayhawks back in front, 70-69 with 1:16 to play. With 38 seconds left, Bacot twisted his ankle – as he had done late in Saturday’s 81-77 victory over Duke – a game that was supposed to be the highlight of this tournament.
After a turnaround jumper by McCormack gave Kansas a three-point lead, coach Bill Self’s team got the ball back, but the player touched the sideline as he was attempting to dribble away from his basket.
After a lengthy review, the clock was adjusted to 4.3 seconds and North Carolina had the ball at midcourt. Puff Johnson tossed the ball in to Caleb Love, who got close to the three-point lane and heaved what could have been a three-point tying basket. He missed by a foot. Then the buzzer went off and Kansas had won the championship.
It was Kansas’s fourth national title and Self’s second. His other was in 2008.
Bacot and R.J. Davis scored 15 each for North Carolina, Manek and Love 13 and Johnson 11.
For Kansas, Jalen Wilson and McCormack had 15 apiece, Martin 14 and Christian Braun and Ajbaji 12 each.
On April 2, in the first game of the Final Four, Kansas methodically defeated Villanova, 81-65.
IN SUNDAY’S WOMEN’S Championship, I thought Connecticut’s Paige Buecker, the best shooter on the floor at Minneapolis, was much too hesitant early as South Carolina rode off to an impressive victory, 64-49. She led her team with 14 points on 16 shots.
It was the second title for South Carolina and its coach, Dawn Staley, And, yes, the Gamecocks would have won even if Buecker, who missed 19 games with a leg injury, had been at her best.
South Carolina outplayed UConn throughout the game after leading 22-8 after the first quarter.
At that point, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma told telecaster Holly Rowe, “They’re overwhelming us right now.” That they were and that they did.
The Gamecocks’ Alijah Boston was by far the best player in this foursome and won all the national awards as the best collegiate women’s player. Sunday, she recorded her 30th double double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. And she’ll be returning for her senior season next year. Destanni Henderson of South Carolina led both teams in scoring with 26 points.
South Carolina defeated Louisville, 72-59, in Friday’s first game of the Final Four, while Connecticut defeated Stanford, 54-48, in the close second game.
And now, on Thursday, April 7, the Masters golf tournament begins its four-day run at Augusta National in Georgia. And next week, the NBA tournament kicks off with the play-in.
