DAVID MCCORMACK

The Great Kansas Comeback is about more than just one scintillating, stifling 20-minute stretch of Jayhawks basketball.

Bill Self went from the Hall of Fame coach who too often failed on the big stage to the brilliant mastermind of the biggest second-half comeback in NCAA title game history.

David McCormack’s late inside baskets to help Kansas surge past North Carolina in the NCAA championship game followed a Final Four trend.

Bill Self won his elusive second national title with a masterful second-half coaching job and a spicy dash of Remy Martin.

North Carolina big man Armando Bacot never looked like himself in the national championship game against Kansas because he was battling an ankle injury.

Kansas finished off the biggest comeback in national championship history Monday night, getting a big game from David McCormack, crucial shots from Remy Martin and surviving a potential game-tying 3-pointer by Caleb Love at the buzzer for a 72-69 victory in the Superdome.

North Carolina has an effective inside/outside combo in Armando Bacot and Caleb Love.

Villanova needed Justin Moore on offense, to add another scoring threat and spread the floor.

David McCormack muscled his way to 25 points, Ochai Agbaji added 21 and hot-shooting Kansas withstood every Villanova run for a 81-65 victory Saturday night that sent the Jayhawks back to the national title game.

Exactly 10 years after a bunch of one-and-done phenoms for Kentucky cut down the nets in the Big Easy, there is a much more old-school feel to this year’s Final Four.

Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack and Christian Braun powered a dazzling second half for Kansas, and the top-seeded Jayhawks pounded Miami 76-50 to advance to the program’s 16th Final Four.

Top seeds Gonzaga, Arizona and Kansas are in the NCAA Sweet 16.

David McCormack had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Ochai Agbaji made a pair of clinching foul shots with just over a minute to go, and sixth-ranked Kansas beat No. 14 Texas Tech 74-65 to win the Big 12 Tournament title.

Jalen Wilson had 22 points and No. 8 Kansas used a late run to beat Oklahoma 71-69.

Timmy Allen scored 24 points and his long jumper from just beyond the free throw line with 21 seconds left put Texas ahead before Marcus Carr’s free throws sealed a 79-76 win over No. 8 Kansas on Monday night.

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 37 points to help No. 5 Kansas avenge its only conference loss of the season with a 94-91 double overtime win over No. 13 Texas Tech. Agbaji outdueled Bryson Williams, who poured in 33 points for Tech. Kansas led by one in the second overtime when Williams banked in a 3-pointer.

Mustapha Amzil hit a running jumper in the lane at the buzzer, and Dayton beat No. 4 Kansas 74-73.

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 29 points and No. 3 Kansas beat Michigan State 87-74 at the Champions Classic on the opening night of college basketball.

The Indiana Farmers Coliseum scoreboard goes dark after a first round NCAA college basketball tournament game between Iowa and Grand Canyon Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)If you didn’t pay attention to college basketball until the NCAA Tournament, the good news is you didn’t miss much. The loss marked the second time in the Cavaliers’ last three NCAA tournament appearances — this time as a No. “He kind of got his legs under him and he was really, really good in the second half,” Self said afterward. “I mean really, really good.”___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

3 seed Kansas. 14 seed Eastern Washington 93-84 on Saturday to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Compounding problems for Kansas: Garrett, one of the nation's best defenders, picked up his third foul before the break. AdThey finally did midway through the second half. But the Eagles' defense let them down in the second half, when Kansas began getting open looks and knocking them down.

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)Virginia has a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia was forced to withdraw from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals Friday because a person with the team tested positive for COVID-19. “It’s certainly a unique way to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. There are replacement teams waiting if Virginia, or any team, needs to pull out of the tournament. Bennett is hopeful Virginia will take the court as scheduled, 7:15 p.m. Eastern on Saturday night at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

Kansas head coach Bill Self watches player introductions before an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 men's tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, March 11, 2021. – Kansas withdrew from the Big 12 Tournament on Friday after a positive COVID-19 test within the men's basketball program, becoming the third major team to have its conference postseason come to an end beceause of the coronavirus. “Obviously we are disappointed and our players are disappointed that they can't continue to compete for the Big 12 championship,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said in a statement. It remained to be seen whether the Longhorns will return a positive test before the Big 12 title game. On Thursday, perennial power Duke pulled out of the ACC Tournament after a pair of wins because of a positive test.

Hall of Famers taking part include include Anthony Muñoz, in both English and Spanish, Darrell Green, Aeneas Williams, and Drew Pearson. ___Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer has tested positive for COVID-19, and the Hoosiers’ home doubleheader against Penn State on Friday has been called off. ___Kansas withdrew from the Big 12 Tournament on Friday after a positive COVID-19 test within the men’s basketball program, sending No. ___The Minnesota Twins are the latest Major League Baseball team to receive government approval for fans to return to their games this season. Only a limited amount of family members of players and staff have been able to attend those games this season.

18 Tennessee never trailed Saturday in beating 15th-ranked Kansas 80-61 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. This was just Tennessee's second win all-time against Kansas in six games. David McCormack led the Jayhawks with 17 points, Marcus Garrett added 15 and Jalen Wilson had 10. Kansas shot only 7 of 26 through the first 20 minutes and kept from being blown out by hitting 11 of 12 at the free throw line. Tennessee: The Vols have proven they can play stingy defense, and they dominated on the boards 38-23, scoring 14 second-chance points.

Cade Cunningham scored 18 points, and the Cowboys held off a late rally to beat No. “This is what the process looks like,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. It was the fifth time in the past eight tries that Oklahoma State has beaten the Jayhawks at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Garrett missed a 3-pointer, and Oklahoma State got the ball in a scramble and called timeout with 17.8 seconds left. Oklahoma State hosts rival Oklahoma on Saturday.