Kansas' revenge
Marcus Fuller's five things to watch in the men's Final Four
Most of the big coaching personalities have been on the championship stage before. That doesn't mean there's not new territory to claim in this unique climax to the season.
April 1, 2022 at 11:15PM
The last time Kansas and Villanova met in the Final Four was when the Jayhawks lost 95-79 during the Wildcats' NCAA title run in 2018. Kansas coach Bill Self had a 10-year hiatus from winning national title before that appearance — and he has another chance to win it all this year after finishing runner-up in 2012 in New Orleans. Before Self's NCAA title in 2008, the Jayhawks' last appearance in the championship game was a loss to Syracuse in 2003 in New Orleans.
Hall of Famers, and Hubert
Hall of Famers galore make up the Final Four coaches this season with Self, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Villanova's Jay Wright, who have combined for 19 Final Fours and eight national championships. The odd duck of the bench is North Carolina's Hubert Davis coaching in his first Final Four in his first season after replacing Hall of Famer Roy Williams.
Surprise team
Arguably the lowest point in Davis' first season coaching North Carolina was the Feb. 16 home loss against a struggling Pittsburgh team. The Tar Heels had suffered their eighth loss of the season and were projected to miss the NCAA tournament. UNC caught fire after that with a 10-1 record, including beating Duke in Coach K's last home game at Cameron Indoor.
Another all-time freshman performance?
Before he was arguably the greatest player to ever play the game, he was a 19-year-old freshman playing for North Carolina against Georgetown in the championship game in New Orleans. You might remember one name in particular, MJ. Well, he was known as Mike Jordan when he drilled a 16-foot jumper with 15 seconds left that led Dean Smith to his first national title in 1982. Duke freshman Paolo Banchero could make his case for the No. 1 pick by leading Duke to cut down the nets.
New blood
Duke, North Carolina and Kansas are traditional blue bloods. Villanova certainly has the recent résumé to be in that conversation, with two national titles since 2016. Wright's third national title would tie him for fourth all-time with legends such as Williams, Indiana's Bob Knight and UConn's Jim Calhoun.
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.
