NEW ORLEANS -- Entering Monday, Kansas had trailed at halftime just once in this year's NCAA tournament. It was in the Elite Eight against Miami, when the Jayhawks turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 26-point win. They outscored the Hurricanes 47-15 in the final 20 minutes of that one.
"I told them we need to play better," coach Bill Self said after that game. "And the lid was going to come off eventually."
He might have reused his halftime speech from just over a week ago on Monday.
Kansas erased a 15-point halftime deficit to come back and beat North Carolina 72-69 in the national championship game.