NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: ‘One Shining Moment’ and social media react to Kansas’ historic comeback win over UNC

Countless surprises and broken brackets later, the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is over.

It’s officially “One Shining Moment” time for the Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 in Monday’s national championship game in New Orleans.

The Jayhawks scored the first seven points of the game before the heels took off. In a six-minute stretch late in the first half, UNC rattled off 16 unanswered points. It was only the third time this season that Kansas had fallen by double digits. UNC’s Armando Bacot, who went into the matchup with an injured ankle, was undeterred. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.

The second half? That was a very different story when Kansas came back with a vengeance. The Jayhawks, trailing 15 at halftime, put on a 31-10 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half. David McCormack came on the clutch for Kansas with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

UNC’s Bacot finished the night with 15 points and 15 rebounds before injuring his ankle again in the final minute while making a potentially game-winning layup attempt. He couldn’t get back into the game.

KU’s comeback win puts them in rare (read: nonexistent) company. Kansas became the first team in Final Four history to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit to win the title game. According to data from ESPN Stats & Information, teams with more than 15 points at halftime now sit 9-452 (.980) in NCAA tournament history.

Here’s how social media celebrated – and lamented – the outcome of the Battle of the Blue Flower: