MARCH MADNESS NCAA MEN'S 2022 TOURNAMENT FINAL FOUR RECAP
Sports
Sophia Mastey
On Monday, April 4, 2022, Kansas completed a historic comeback for the NCAA title, which only four teams have ever won before. North Carolina beat Duke in the final four thriller, and Kansas crushed Villanova’s ability to advance to the national championship.
The engaging Duke Blue Devils v. The North Carolina Tar Heels game gave all viewers a thrill. Although many people doubted North Carolina beating Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s home finale last month, North Carolina won. The first 20 minutes of the game were intense, despite Duke keeping a huge lead. R.J. Davis was a major help to his team, scoring 14 points in the first half as UNC changed a six-point Duke lead. Just when North Carolina seemed like they would have won the game, Duke players Williams and Paolo Banchero changed the score to 51-49 with Duke taking the lead. When there were only 46.7 seconds left in the game, Williams went to the line to shoot free throws, which had the ability to alter the game completely, as Duke was only down by a point. Williams missed both free throws, and North Carolina’s Love shot, scoring a three pointer shot with only 28 seconds remaining. This victory advanced the North Carolina Tar Heels to their 12th National Championship.
As the University of North Carolina advanced to the championship, Kansas and Villanova faced off on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Kansas players David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji helped assist the Jayhawks win. The Jayhawks scored 13 of 24 3-point shot attempts for the game, with McCormack scoring 25 points and Agbaji adding 21. Collin Gillespie scored 17 points for Villanova, but even with those points Kansas still remained victorious. Even though Villanova couldn’t make it to the championships, this still marked their third Final Four appearances in the last six NCAA Tournaments. This victory advanced Kansas to face UNC on April 4, 2022, at the championship game.
The NCAA championship shocked UNC fans everywhere. Kansas had a crazy comeback in the second half of the game, overcoming a 15 point deficit against North Carolina to win the fourth national championship. This comeback marked the largest comeback in all of the NCAA tournament’s history.
The Kansas Jayhawks won the championship after a hard-playing season. These hard-working Jayhawk players will be remembered for their vast accomplishments.
Works Cited:
Hill, Glynn A., and Adam Kilgore. “Men's Final Four: North Carolina Edges Duke in a Thriller, Ending Mike Krzyzewski's Career.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 Apr. 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/04/02/final-four-scores/.
Boone, Kyle. “2022 March Madness Bracket: College Basketball Scores, NCAA Basketball Championship Game, Live Stream, TV.” CBS Sports - News, Live Scores, Schedules, Fantasy Games, Video and More. - CBSSports.com, CBS Sports, 5 Apr. 2022, https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2022-march-madness-bracket-college-basketball-scores-ncaa-basketball-championship-game-live-stream-tv/amp/.