NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Best. Comeback. Ever. Sounds pretty good next to Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.
What looked like a lost cause turned into one of the sweetest wins ever for Kansas.
The Jayhawks brought their fourth NCAA title back to Allen Fieldhouse on Monday thanks to a second-half flurry that erased a 16-point deficit and eventually overcame North Carolina 72-69 in an epic battle of power programs.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — David McCormack's two late baskets in the paint to help Kansas surge past North Carolina during the NCAA championship game followed a Final Four trend.
The way teams played in the post had a major influence on how the games turned out.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — North Carolina's top offensive priority, particularly early in a game, is to feed the ball to Armando Bacot in the post. Once the opposing team inevitably starts sending extra defenders at the Tar Heels' big man, Caleb Love has more space to let 3-pointers fly or drive to the basket.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ochai Agbaji followed a celebrating stream of Kansas players off the floor at the Final Four, their shouts of “One more!” echoing all the way up the tunnel of the Superdome and right to the door of their locker room.
CHICAGO (AP) — Ochai Agbaji was all over the court. David McCormack dominated inside, and Christian Braun connected from deep.
With one dazzling finish, Kansas roared into the Final Four.
Agbaji, McCormack and Braun led the top-seeded Jayhawks to a brilliant second half in a 76-50 victory over Miami on Sunday, sending one of college basketball's top programs to the national semifinals for the 16th time.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Texas coach Chris Beard made the calculated decision to take away the flotilla of Kansas sharpshooters in their showdown at Allen Fieldhouse, where the sixth-ranked Jayhawks were trying to clinch a share of the Big 12 title Saturday.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored 22 points, Dajuan Harris blocked Mike Miles’ shot in the final seconds and sixth-ranked Kansas avenged a loss to TCU two days earlier with a 72-68 victory Thursday night that kept the Jayhawks tied atop the Big 12 heading into their regular-season finale.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self called point guard Dajuan Harris something unfit for print after his scoreless performance at TCU earlier this week served as a microcosm of the Jayhawks' entire listless performance.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Kansas enters the final two weeks before the Big 12 Tournament in control of its own chances to earn at least a share of its 20th regular-season championship.
There's still time to clean up the glitches that keep the sixth-ranked Jayhawks from winning some games decisively.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored 20 points and No. 6 Kansas saw all five starters score in double figures in a 76-62 victory over Oklahoma State on Monday night.
Kansas, which wore throwback jerseys from the 1921-22 season, the year the Jayhawks won their first Helms Foundation national championship, pulled away late in the first half and never was threatened in the second half.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalen Wilson had 22 points and No. 8 Kansas used a late run to beat Oklahoma 71-69 on Saturday.
The Jayhawks (20-4, 9-2 Big 12) scored 11 straight points during a 15-2 burst to take the lead in the final minutes.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalen Wilson scored a game-high 22 points andNo. 8 Kansas held off stubborn Oklahoma 71-69 on Saturday.
Kansas used a 15-2 run late in the game to come back from a deficit and take the game's largest lead.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Kevin Obanor had 17 points with five 3-pointers and 14th-ranked Texas Tech beat No. 23 Texas 77-64 on Tuesday night in Chris Beard’s return to an emotionally charged arena packed with fans who used to love the coach who took the Red Raiders to the national championship game only three years ago.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — David McCormack and Dajuan Harris each scored 14 points, and No. 10 Kansas defeated No. 20 Iowa State 70-61 on Tuesday night.
McCormick made all seven of his shots and had 14 rebounds for the Jayhawks (18-3, 7-1 Big 12), who were without Ochai Agbaji.
Kansas’ Bill Self is looking for a strong response after a lopsided home loss, while Texas’ Chris Beard is preparing to face the program he led to within a win of a national championship just three years ago.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji hit a baseline jumper with 9 seconds left to lift No. 7 Kansas over Kansas State 78-75 Saturday.
Agbaji’s shot gave Kansas its first lead since early in the first half and snapped K-State’s two-game winning streak against ranked foes.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has been waiting all season for David McCormack to give the No. 9 Jayhawks a consistent force inside.
It's been waiting for Jalen Wilson to finally shake off a season-long slump, too.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Bill Self didn’t know exactly how many consecutive shots his team missed to close the first half — it was 19 — but the Kansas coach didn’t panic at halftime, telling his players “the lid will come off” the basket.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — After Kansas had its game against Harvard wiped out by COVID-19, and Nevada had its Mountain West opener against San Jose State postponed for the same reason, Wolf Pack coach Steve Alford jumped at the chance to visit storied Allen Fieldhouse for the first time.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — It took nearly a decade for Kansas and Missouri to renew the Border War.
It took about 10 minutes for the Jayhawks to turn it into a border rout.
Ochai Agbaji scored 21 points, Christian Braun and Dajuan Harris had 13 apiece, and the eighth-ranked Jayhawks rolled to a 102-65 win over the Tigers on Saturday in the first meeting of the longtime Big 12 rivals as nonconference opponents.
NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Moore scored 18 points, Collin Gillespie had 14 and No. 6 Villanova beat Syracuse 67-53 in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night.
Jermaine Samuels added 13 for the Wildcats (7-2) in their 22nd win at Madison Square Garden since 2014.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji tried to convince everyone listening that he wasn't looking past UTEP to a showdown with Missouri.
The smirk that he tried to hide gave him away.
Still, the high-scoring Kansas guard held his focus long enough to pour in 23 points Tuesday night, helping the eighth-ranked Jayhawks roll to a 78-52 blowout of the Miners in their last tune-up for the return of the Border War.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Jaden Ivey scored 19 points, Trevion Williams had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and No. 2 Purdue held off a late Iowa rally to win 77-70 on Friday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
NEW YORK (AP) — New building or old, Kansas looked right at home in the Big Apple again.
Christian Braun had a career-high 31 points, Ochai Agbaji scored 23 and the No. 8 Jayhawks emphatically turned back a second-half charge to beat St.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Christian Braun had 18 points and seven rebounds, Ochai Agbaji added 17 points, and No. 4 Kansas beat Iona 96-83 on Sunday in the first meeting between Hall of Fame coaches Bill Self and Rick Pitino.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Christian Braun had 18 points and seven rebounds, Ochai Agbaji added 17 points, and No. 4 Kansas beat Iona 96-83 on Sunday in the first meeting between Hall of Fame coaches Bill Self and Rick Pitino.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Mustapha Amzil's lone basket of the game was a memorable one.
Amzil hit a running jumper in the lane at the buzzer, and Dayton beat No. 4 Kansas 74-73 on Friday.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self knew that Ochai Agbaji was within one point of 1,000 for his career, so the Kansas coach reminded his star player of the milestone in the gentlest way possible during a late timeout against Stony Brook.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ochai Agbaji said he was close to turning pro and skipping his senior season at Kansas.
He's glad he decided to stay.
Agbaji scored a career-high 29 points and No. 3 Kansas beat Michigan State 87-74 on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self was still trying to come to terms with a historically bad NCAA Tournament defeat to Southern California at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis when he was asked what had to change going forward.