Re-visiting the 2022 NCAA Championship ahead of UNC-Kansas rematch

Apr 4, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard R.J. Davis (4) handles the ball against Kansas Jayhawks guard Remy Martin (11) during the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Final Four championship game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The North Carolina Tar Heels weren’t even supposed to be in the 2022 NCAA Championship game.

Throughout the regular season, UNC showed it struggled on the road against good competition. Playing in the NCAA Tournament, you’re away from home base the whole time – unless you’re hosting, like Creighton in Omaha.

Somehow, North Carolina ended up in the title game and played Kansas. The Tar Heels enjoyed a massive, 15-point halftime advantage, but that turned into a 3-point deficit and a 72-69 defeat.

On Friday, Nov. 8, UNC and Kansas will rematch in one of the college basketball season’s most highly-anticipated matchups.

Today, we’re here to re-visit that massive letdown. We know no lead is safe in college basketball, but when you’re as talented as UNC, what came in the second half was shocking.

After falling behind 7-0 early, then weathering a couple of early Jayhawk storms, the first half was all North Carolina.

The Tar Heels and Kansas found themselves tied at 22, then UNC embarked on a 16-0 run to give it the needed breathing room. Brady Manek, Armando Bacot and RJ Davis engineered this run, scoring all points during it.

Not even a minute out of halftime, Jayhawks center David McCormack slammed down a thunderous dunk that changed everything. Kansas kept chipping away, eventually taking the lead (53-50) on a Remy Martin 3-pointer at the 10:23 mark.

North Carolina wouldn’t lead again until just under two minutes remained, when Brady Manek tipped in a missed shot. 20 seconds later, McCormack gave the Jayhawks a lead they never relinquies.

Did the Tar Heels expend all their energy beating Duke in the Final Four? Was Kansas simply the better team (the answer is yes)?

Regardless, that 2022 title game…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/visiting-2022-ncaa-championship-ahead-181552141.html

Author : Tar Heels Wire

Publish date : 2024-11-07 18:15:00

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