Kansas' David McCormack relies on experience, 'do what we have to do' for second-half comeback
David McCormack was smiling, and he knew his teammates thought he was crazy.
This was at halftime, when the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks were trailing by 15 in the men's NCAA Tournament championship game against the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels.
“Just do what we have to do,” McCormack, a senior leader, told the Jayhawks in the locker room.
That's how he recalled it in a postgame interview after the Jayhawks completed the largest comeback in men's championship history (16) with a thrilling 72-69 victory – in no small part to the play of frontcourt veterans like McCormack and Jalen Wilson.
With North Carolina big man Armando Bacot out after injuring his ankle again, McCormack hooked in a key basket over Tar Heels forward Brady Manek with 22.5 seconds remaining to provide the final margin. McCormack had given Kansas the lead with 1:20 to go on a similar hook shot, making him responsible for the biggest two shots of the night.
The 6-foot-10 senior and Wilson, a 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore, led the Jayhawks with 15 points apiece.
McCormack finished with 10 rebounds while shooting 7 of 15 from the field in 29 minutes. Wilson, who struggled at the rim in the first half as North Carolina raced to a 38-22 lead at one point, made all four of his free throws and hit one 3-pointer (on five attempts) to salvage a tough night from the floor (5-for-13).
Even Mitch Lightfoot contributed to the frontcourt success. The "super senior" made his lone shot, grabbed an offensive rebound and recorded an assist (and committed four fouls).
The bigs did not keep North Carolina off the glass, though. The Tar Heels won the offensive rebound battle 24-8 with Bacot, Manek and guard R.J. Davis combining for 17; North Carolina out-rebounded Kansas by 20 in total (55-35). It didn't matter.
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In the second half, Bacot slowed down, and his ankle twist inside the final minute set up McCormack's clutch shot – although Manek morphed into a rim protector himself Monday, with four blocks.
He couldn't block that one, and McCormack -- the Big 12's Most Improved Player from a year ago -- showed off a move from an offensive skill-set that shined when it mattered most.
His season high for points (25) had come two nights earlier against Villanova in the national semifinal. Ochai Agbaji was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, but McCormack had an equally compelling case.
The 2022 national championship was a fine consolation prize.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.