Kansas won its fourth NCAA men's basketball national championship Monday night, securing a 72-69 comeback win over North Carolina in New Orleans.
The victory was very different from Kansas' Final Four matchup against Villanova, which was a wire-to-wire win. Kansas went into the half down 40-25 and then stormed back to outscore North Carolina by 18 points in the second half. The 15-point comeback is the biggest in championship history.
Timely baskets by Remy Martin and David McCormack helped to power the Jayhawks' rally against a Tar Heels team that was hobbled in the second half. Christian Braun was a driving force in the comeback as well.
UNC's Caleb Love and Armando Bacot were playing on bad ankles for a good portion of the game. Bacot further injured his ankle down the stretch on a drive and was pulled after limping back down the floor. Ultimately, North Carolina couldn't keep up with Kansas' increased pace in the second half. The Jayhawks' running also helped to slow down North Carolina on the glass.
KU's Ochai Agbaji was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four.
The championship is Bill Self's second as Kansas head coach. His first came in 2008.
The Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from the Kansas-North Carolina national championship game. Read below for details.
UNC vs. Kansas score
| H1 | H2 | F | |
| Kansas | 25 | 47 | 72 |
| North Carolina | 40 | 29 | 69 |
UNC vs. Kansas live updates, highlights from NCAA national championship
(All times Eastern)
11:42 p.m. --Kansas wins the national championship 72-69, as Caleb Love misses the game-tying shot as time expires. KU completes the biggest comeback in NCAA championship history.
11:37 p.m. --North Carolina will get the ball back down three with under five seconds left as Kansas steps out of bounds on the inbound. Absolutely critical mistake.
11:34 p.m. --Not a good possession from North Carolina as they force multiple three-point shots and give Kansas the ball back up three with 4.2 seconds left. Rough sequence for UNC.
11:32 p.m. --Weird sequence as Armando Bacot rolls his ankle and hobbles down the floor as Kansas waits for him. Officials take a timeout with 38 seconds left when Bacot gets back down the floor.
11:31 p.m. --HUGE play by David McCormack on the offensive end to pick up an offensive rebound and give Kansas the lead again.
11:29 p.m. --After a Kansas three moments ago, North Carolina scores four straight punctuated by a Brady Manek putback to make it 69-68.
MANEK PUTBACK FOR THE LEAD❗️@UNC_Basketball | #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/UqVkCh2aZC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022
11:27 p.m. --North Carolina ties the game on a pair of Brady Manek free throws. It's 65-65 with three minutes left. Unsurprising having this go down to the wire.
11:23 p.m. --David McCormack picks up his fourth foul on a drive. UNC going to the line down four.
11:20 p.m. --Puff Johnson goes down for North Carolina in the midst of a fast-paced game. Appears to be coughing. He's been playing high-energy since he came in. Kansas leads 63-61 with 4:23 left.
11:15 p.m. --North Carolina has stolen the momentum back, courtesy of a few huge plays from Puff Johnson. We're tied at 57 with about eight minutes to go as these teams continue to wrestle for momentum.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022🗣 PUFF ON BOTH ENDS
Davis is LOVING IT.@UNC_Basketball | #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/uZlgtioIFs
11:07 p.m. --And the momentum has fully shifted, as Remy Martin hits a three before Jalen Wilson converts a 3-point play to put Kansas up 56-50. North Carolina needs to slow itself down and figure out the Kansas press.
JAYHAWKS ARE FEELING IT 🤯@KUHoops takes back the lead #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/5HNVyJyrLO
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022
11:06 p.m. --After North Carolina hits a bucket, Ochai Agbaji scores and converts a free throw to tie the game at 50 with just under 11 minutes left. All gas no brakes comeback here by Kansas.
10:56 p.m. --Crazy run here for Kansas, as they score again in transition to cut the lead to one. Caleb Love is hobbled for North Carolina and struggling to keep up. Shades of both Kansas vs. Miami and North Carolina vs. Baylor coming out of the break early, as Hubert Davis takes a timeout to try to reel things in.
10:54 p.m. --Foul trouble abounds on both sides, as David McCormack keeps going with three fouls and Leaky Black picks up his fourth. Ochai Agbaji continues to struggle at the line for Kansas and it stays a five-point game.
10:50 p.m. --Kansas is streaking coming out of the half, as Ochai Agbaji gets fouled on a three-point attempt. He makes one of three to cut the North Carolina lead down to six.
10:45 p.m. --Kansas continues to get destroyed on the boards, but they're at least scoring on the offensive end. They have the lead to 10, but they need to limit North Carolina to one shot per possession.
10:43 p.m. --Kansas opens the half with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to nine. Great finish by Christian Braun to keep the run going. 40-31 North Carolina.
McCormack rocking the rim 💥@KUHoops | #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/KuzE27eFYc
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022
10:40 p.m. --We're back underway in New Orleans as North Carolina opens the second half with the ball.
Halftime -- North Carolina 40, Kansas 25
10:17 p.m. --After Ochai Agbaji breaks a field goal drought for Kansas, Puff Johnson scores yet another pair of second-chance points for North Carolina. North Carolina goes into the half up 40-25.
10:14 p.m. --Armando Bacot has a first-half double double, in what's been a monster game. North Carolina is up 38-23 with under a minute in the half.
10:08 p.m. --The small-ball lineup simply isn't working for Kansas right now. UNC continues to dominate around the rim, and Kansas needs to try something different with 2:30 in the half.
10:02 p.m. --Kansas is going unconventionally small as David McCormack continues to struggle with a frustration foul on a 3-point attempt. UNC is on a 10-0 run up 32-22.
9:55 p.m. --Just as Kansas ties it up in transition, North Carolina hits two threes on the other end to put North Carolina up 28-22. Armando Bacot is having a great game on David McCormack, who is meeting the most resistance he has all tournament.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022BRADY BACK-TO-BACK TRIPLES 🤯
Tar Heels up six!@UNC_Basketball #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/6oUS4eVDuY
9:49 p.m. --UNC is killing Kansas on the offensive glass, with 14 second-chance points.
9:47 p.m. --North Carolina answers in a big way with four straight points to tie it up as Armando Bacot goes to the line in an 18-18 game. Great defense from UNC on successive possessions to give UNC a chance to take the lead.
9:45 p.m. --Remy Martin doesn't call bank but gets the points all the same. Huge three from Martin to put Kansas up 18-14.
Remy had to smile after this three off the glass 😅@KUHoops | #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/NYYaMRCd9z
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022
9:37 p.m. --Christian Baun responds with a basket going the other way to put Kansas back up 13-12. Ochai Agbaji gets a huge block on the other end.
9:35 p.m. --HUGE play from Armando Bacot, as he puts back a basket and hits the and-1 to give North Carolina its first lead. 12-11 nearly seven minutes in.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022Armando Bacot putback AND the foul 😤
Tar Heels take the lead in NOLA#NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/CtmQST1tKK
9:33 p.m. --Armando Bacot and David McCormack are battling inside, no clear winner early. Kansas leads 11-7 as points remain at a premium.
McCormack REJECTS Bacot 🖐 ❌ #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/dvwg20qAWd
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022
9:27 p.m. --Brady Manek goes down after taking David McCoarmack's elbow to his head. Painful-looking injury, hopefully he's OK. 9-3 Kansas early.
9:25 p.m. --Brady Manek finally puts UNC on the board with a triple after a few rough possessions. A lot of defense early in this game.
9:20 p.m. --We are underway and Ochai Agbaji opens where he left off, immediately hitting a three to give Kansas a 3-0 lead.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2022Ochai for THREEE 🎯
Agbaji picks up where he left off@KUHoops | #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/u2K3lKN86U
UNC vs. Kansas start time
- Tipoff:9:20 p.m. ET | 6:20 p.m. PT
The Final Four game between Kansas and North Carolina is scheduled to start at 9:09 p.m. ET.
What channel is UNC vs. Kansas on today?
- TV channel: TBS
- Live stream: NCAA March Madness Live, Sling TV
College basketball fans can watch Kansas vs. North Carolina on TBS. NCAA March Madness Live will also be streaming the game, and you can access TBS through Sling TV.
Final Four schedule 2022
Saturday, April 2 (national semifinals)
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| No. 1 Kansas 81, No. 2 Villanova 65 | 6:09 p.m. | TBS |
| No. 8 North Carolina 81,No. 2 Duke 77 | 8:49 p.m. | TBS |
Monday, April 4 (national championship game)
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| No. 1 Kansas 72, No. 8 North Carolina 69 | 9:20 p.m. | TBS |
