NEW ORLEANS — Kansas, ranked No. 1 in the country and rolling into the middle of March, had its national championship hopes dashed two years ago by an unbeatable foe — the pandemic, which wiped out the N.C.A.A. tournament.
The perpetually snakebit Jayhawks, who have a lengthy history of N.C.A.A. tournament disappointments, put those regrets behind them on Monday night, rallying from a 16-point deficit to turn back North Carolina, 72-69, before a crowd of about 70,000 at the Superdome.
David McCormack, their bullish senior center whose career has mirrored the up-and-down arc of the Jayhawks’ tournament fortunes, scored the go-ahead bucket by following his own miss and then — after Armando Bacot, playing on a gimpy right ankle, injured it on a drive to the basket — McCormack scored again in the post to put Kansas ahead by 72-69.