2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game Recap

Story posted April 5, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Jameson Kramer

The college basketball season has officially come to a close, and what a season and tournament it was. The National Championship game on Monday night between the Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina Tar Heels did not disappoint.

The back and forth contest ended with Bill Self’s Jayhawks hoisting the championship trophy in the Superdome, winning by a final score of 72-69 after a last second buzzer beater attempt from North Carolina’s Caleb Love fell short and the clock hit zero.

Basketball at any level is a game of runs, and this game certainly fits the bill.

Kansas started the game off hot with a 7-0 run just as they had two days prior in the Final Four against Villanova. Unlike the Wildcats though, North Carolina quickly regrouped and took a 12-11 lead about seven minutes into the game. After taking the lead, the Tarheels went on a nice 16-0 run of their own, mounting a 16 point lead before halftime.

The Tar Heels appeared to be in complete control of the game heading into the locker room, but Kansas would not go gentle into the night. In the second half, Kansas came out looking like a different team, outscoring the Tar Heels by 18 points in the second half.

With 10 minutes left in the game and the score tied at 50, the game was back and forth until the final buzzer.

North Carolina’s 20 rebound advantage was not enough to overcome an overall terrible night from the 3-point line, where they shot 21.7% as a team. Kansas also won the turnover battle, a testament to their experienced roster and coaching staff - five different Jayhawks scored double digit points, two of them managing a double-double.

The star player in this game for the Heels and probably the entire game was forward Armando Bacot. Bacot hurt himself in the Final Four contest against the Wildcats on Friday, and was clearly not 100% healthy.

Despite playing with the injury, Bacot played extremely well, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and free throws. Leading the team in five categories is not something seen often in college basketball, but Bacot showed how special and tough he is with his performance.

In maybe the final turning point in the game, Bacot got injured again late in the contest. Slow motion replays show that the court buckled underneath him, likely causing the unfortunate injury.

In a show of great sportsmanship, the Jayhawks called a timeout while Bacot was on the floor in pain, forfeiting the five on four advantage they would have had during a crucial possession in the game.

In the end, Kansas won its first national title since 2008, putting an end to North Carolina’s  Cinderella run during the tournament as a No. 8 seed.

This battle of blue-bloods is the first tournament with spectators in three years, and surely did not disappoint. For all of the crazy upsets and classic games in this tournament, a blue-blood No. 1 ends up cutting down the nets in New Orleans.


Jameson Kramer is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him email jek5650@psu.edu