It was a tale of two halves in the National Title game on Monday night. North Carolina got off to a great start and led by double digits most of the 1st half. They would lead 40-25 at the half, after a first frame where they played with tons of energy. After being down briefly in the games opening minutes, North Carolina didn't trail again until the final 10 minutes of the game.
After being down 15 at the half, Kansas rallied in the 2nd half. The Jayhawks opened the 2nd stanza on a 22-8 run to cut the lead to one with less than 12 minutes left in the game. KU took the lead at 57-54 with 8 minutes left in the game. It would be back and forth with the two teams traded buckets down the stretch.
UNC and Kansas traded the lead late in the game on multiple occasions. A Brady Manek tip in gave UNC a 69-68 lead with 1:41 left in the game. Kansas would get back-to-back buckets from big man David McCormack in the final 90 seconds. They would also hold UNC scoreless the rest of the way after the Manek tip in. UNC did have one final shot, but a three point attempt by Caleb Love was off the mark.
Kansas had a 47-29 advantage in the 2nd half. KU shot 44% overall, 35 % from three, but was just 8 of 14 from the foul line. UNC had a poor shooting night connecting on 31% from the field, 22% from three, but did go 18 of 22 at the charity stripe. 2nd chance opportunities kept UNC in the game, as they had a 24-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
UNC had 5 players in double figures, R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot both had double-doubles. Davis had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Bacot had 15 and 15. Brady Manek and Caleb Love had 13 points each and Puff Johnson added 11. KU also had 5 in double digits, David McCormack had 15 points and 10 boards, Jalen Wilson also had 15. Remy Martin added 14, Christian Braun had 12 points and 12 boards, and Ochai Agbaji added 12.
In what has now become the era of older teams in college basketball having postseason success, Kansas fits that mold. 8 of the 9 players who appeared in the game for KU are 3rd year or older. It is the first National Title for Kansas since 2008 and their 2nd under Head Coach Bill Self. For UNC, it was their 1st trip to the Title game since 2017. This was an improbable postseason run for the Tar Heels in the first year of the Coach Hubert Davis era. It was the 3rd time these two teams have met in the Finals since 1953. They met in the Final 4 in 1991, 1993 and 2008, Kansas won in 2008 on its way to the National Title. UNC won in 1993 and went on to beat Michigan in the National Finals.