Well, it’s not the matchup certain folks wanted. In some ways, Coach K losing in the national semifinal is poetic as it matches what his nemesis Dean Smith had happen to him in ‘97. There’s a post-mortem to write about Coach K but today isn’t that day. I know this, the sport may march on but it won’t be the same.
As for the national title game, let’s get this out of the way. UNC would be the most unlikely national champ since 2014 UConn. UNC is 16 in KenPom, with the 18th best offense and 39th best defense. UConn was 15 when the season ended in 2014 and 39th on offense and 10th on defense. The numbers are inversed but there is some symmetry.
While that may be the case, Kansas is better and fits the mold of a national champion. It is a one-game elimination tournament, so anything goes at this moment but it’s the Jayhawks time. It’s unlikely they shoot as well as they did Saturday but Carolina will allow looks similar to Villanova. KU isn’t a great defensive rebounding team and that’s be a place for UNC to steal some possessions.
This is a college basketball junkies final game. Two real blue bloods with a shared rich history. Still, it feels like the big game was Saturday night like it was last year. Will the results be similar? I think so and wonder if UNC can have the same emotional intensity as Saturday. If they do and somehow win this, it’ll be an incredible and unlikely title, regardless of who they are.
Kansas 76 North Carolina 66
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