Kansas comeback stuns North Carolina for US college crown

NEW ORLEANS -- The University of Kansas staged the biggest comeback in the history of the US collegiate basketball national championship game to defeat North Carolina on Monday.

The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks had trailed, 40-25, at half-time against the eighth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

But a superb second-half performance saw Kansas reel in North Carolina to claim a dramatic 72-69 victory.

David McCormack and Jalen Wilson dragged Kansas over the line with 15 points apiece as North Carolina were outscored 47-29 in a pulsating second half.

Kansas had trailed by 16 points at one stage, and seemed to be heading towards defeat against a fired-up North Carolina team who were chasing a seventh title after wins in 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.

But Kansas star McCormack revealed the Jayhawks had never lost hope despite a daunting half-time deficit.

"I was in the locker room at half-time smiling to my teammates, they thought I was crazy. I just said 'Yo, we come out here in the second half and have fun, do what we was born to do, do what got us to this moment,'" McCormack said. "And we just executed."

McCormack nudged Kansas into a 70-69 lead after hauling in a rebound with 1:16 remaining, and then added another two-point basket to put the Jayhawks 72-69 ahead with 22.3 seconds on the clock.

There was still time for North Carolina's Caleb Love to attempt a game-tying three-pointer on the buzzer, but the air ball drifted harmlessly wide of the target as Kansas erupted in celebrations.

The Kansas comeback eclipsed the previous biggest mark from 1998, when Kentucky overturned a 10-point deficit to defeat Utah.

Agence France-Presse

'Coach K' says goodbye as North Carolina downs Duke in NCAA Final Four

LOS ANGELES -- North Carolina beat Duke University 81-77 on Saturday to reach the US collegiate basketball national championship game and bring the curtain down on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's storied career.

The Final Four matchup at the Superdome in New Orleans between the fierce in-state rivals didn't disappoint.

University of North Carolina's Caleb Love scored the Tar Heels' last eight points in the final 24.8 seconds to end a game that featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties.

North Carolina booked a championship clash with the University of Kansas on Monday. 

The Jayhawks dominated Villanova, leading wire to wire in an 81-65 victory in the other semi-final.

Kansas snapped Villanova's nine-game winning streak and avenged a brutal 95-79 loss to the same team in a 2018 Final Four matchup.

They will play for the national title for the first time since 2012, when they lost to Kentucky in the championship. The Jayhawks last won the title in 2008.

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis could join Michigan's Steve Fisher in 1989 as the only first-year head coaches to win the national crown.

But the pre-game focus was on Krzyzewski, the 75-year-old veteran who had already announced this would be his last season and had hoped to lead the Blue Devils to the sixth NCAA title in his 42 years at the helm.

"Coach K," who also guided the United States to Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, was emotional toward the end of a 10-minute video tribute that played before the contest.

It featured a number of his former Duke players along with USA players including James Harden and Kevin Durant.

Krzyzewski departs with a record 1,202 coaching victories. He led Duke to titles in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015, and the five championships trail only the 10 won by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.

His Blue Devils were up 74-73 with 1:24 to play after Wendell Moore's three-pointer.

But North Carolina's RJ Davis was fouled on the ensuing possession and hit both free throws to give the Tar Heels a one-point lead. Love drained a three-pointer to put North Carolina up by four with 28 seconds left.

"I wanted it bad," Love said after scoring 21 second-half points. "Playing Duke for the chance to get the national championship ... it's crazy that we're here right now."

Agence France-Presse