BILL SELF

The University of Kansas just won the NCAA men's basketball championship, but the results of an investigation into recruiting violations may spoil the party.

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

The Jayhawks break a 59-year-old record in staging the greatest comeback in NCAA title game history.

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.

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

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 over North Carolina in the Superdome.

If the nine months that led to Monday night’s national title game proved anything, it’s that college sports are changing.

The Kansas Jayhawks are seeking a fourth national title against the North Carolina Tar Heels — chasing a seventh — Monday night at 9:20 p.m. ET.

There are strong connections between North Carolina and Kansas.

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

Kansas coach Bill Self finds himself in the same spot that longtime North Carolina coach Dean Smith once did.

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.

North Carolina, Duke and Kansas are bona fide basketball bluebloods, the best of the best in the men's college 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.

College basketball's elite programs have stepped into the spotlight for next weekend's Final Four in New Orleans.

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.

Saint Peter’s has knocked off Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue and now has its sights on pulling another NCAA Tournament upset.

Remy Martin scored a season-high 23 points and Kansas did its part as the only No. 1 seed left in the NCAA Tournament, holding Providence to 17 first-half points and hanging on for a 66-61 victory on Friday night to reach the Elite Eight.

Remy Martin had 15 points and Christian Braun 14 to lead five players scoring in double figures for top-seeded Kansas, and the Jayhawks opened their 50th NCAA Tournament with an 83-56 victory over Texas Southern.

Kansas earned a No. 1 seed for the 15th time on Sunday, second only to North Carolina for most in college hoops history, and will open the NCAA Tournament in the Midwest Region against the play-in winner between Texas Southern and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Fort Worth, Texas.

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.

West Virginia played the majority of its game against Kansas without head coach Bob Huggins. Huggins was ejected in the first half.

Ochai Agbaji led sixth-ranked Kansas with 18 points in a 87-63 victory over West Virginia in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.

The madness arrived early this year.

Flo Thamba had 18 points, Jeremy Sochan had 17 and 10th-ranked Baylor overcame a big early deficit to beat No. 5 Kansas 80-70.

Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji each scored 18 points and No. 10 Kansas bolted to a big lead and routed No. 8 Baylor 83-59 to hold the top spot in the Big 12 Conference race.

One of the most heated rivalries in college basketball will be renewed on Saturday when Missouri visits No. 8 Kansas in a matchup of old Big Eight foes.

Bucks honored at White House

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self was so disgusted by the last round of conference realignment — when Missouri and Texas A&M bolted the Big 12 for the SEC — that he vowed never to play the Tigers again. Self's reason was simple: The departures, along with Nebraska's move to the Big Ten and Colorado's to the Pac-12, had left the Big 12 on precarious footing. Perhaps because the Big 12 may have come out ahead — at least, when it comes to basketball.

Michael Jordan will present Kobe Bryant for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has agreed to a new contract that will keep him with the Jayhawks until he retires.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)INDIANAPOLIS – Southern California coach Andy Enfield is taking another program back to the Sweet 16. Marcus Garrett had 15 points for Kansas (21-9), which had never lost an NCAA tourney game by more than 16 points. AdMobley's four first-half 3s, doubling his career best for an entire game, staked the Trojans to a 40-21 lead at the break. Kansas trimmed its deficit to 16 early in the second half, but Enfield immediately called timeout and the momentum was over. BIG PICTURESouthern California continued a banner tournament for the Pac-12, which is now 9-1 with four of its five teams reaching the Sweet 16.

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 updated bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

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. The VCU Oregon game scheduled to be played after the Iowa Grand Canyon game was cancelled after VCU was pulled from the NCAA Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols. The NCAA says the 10th-seeded Rams' first-round game Saturday against Oregon has been declared a no-contest. To get it taken away like this, it’s just a heartbreaking moment in their young lives," VCU coach Mike Rhoades said. There’s no way I can sugarcoat it.”VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin declined to say which players tested positive, citing privacy concerns.

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.

Jalen Tate spent four years at Norther Kentucky, where he made an NCAA Tournament appearance, and Connor Vanover, who began his season at California. His teammate, Tanner Groves, wound up being league MVP — yet wasn't even an all-Big Sky pick before the season. They're a tough team to guard.”BIG MOMENTS, BIG SHOTSMount St. Mary's will likely be long gone by next week. He scored the final seven points to beat Central Connecticut State, then did the same thing against Long Island. In the Northeast Conference final, he scored 17 of 21 points after halftime to book an NCAA trip.

(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.

"Testing, practice, getting on the bus in Philadelphia, waiting for that reply, that response time to say, ‘We’re all negative here. In the biggest adjustment to a normal March Madness, all the games will be played in and around Indianapolis over 19 days. More about that bracket: A few bubble teams are coming from unexpected places, namely UCLA and Michigan State. Teams like Louisville, Saint Louis, Colorado State and Mississippi would gladly trade places with them. In one of many first-of-its-kind moves made to accommodate a one-of-a-kind tournament, the NCAA put team Nos.

1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket announced Sunday as they try to become the first team in 35 years to complete a perfect season. 4 seed Virginia 98-75 in late December. Grand Canyon lost to New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title game for two straight years under previous coach Dan Majerle. Drew knows a little something about NCAA Tournament drama, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer for Valparaiso against Mississippi 23 years ago, so you never know. 5 Creighton had a 20-win season that included victories over NCAA Tournament teams Georgetown, Villanova and two over Connecticut.

Virginia was forced to withdraw from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday because of a single COVID-19 case. They were already missing David McCormack and Tristan Enaruna, who both tested positive before the conference tournament. Pitino is the fifth coach to lead five teams to the NCAA Tournament, joining Lon Kruger and Tuby Smith. The Cougars routed Cincinnati in the AAC final, ending the Bearcats hope of slipping into the NCAA Tournament field of 68 as an automatic qualifier. 7 Houston and Cincinnati, which needs to win to get in the NCAA field.

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.

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2021, file photo, Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid reacts after making a basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Philadelphia. “The fans are always there for me when I play,” Embiid said. Ad“It’s nice to have a big guy in the MVP talk,” Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal told The Associated Press. AdHe is trying to become the first Sixer to win NBA MVP — the fans call it an MVBiid campaign — since Iverson in 2001. Nobody can guard you.’ I think that’s a big reason he’s having the season he’s having.”Morey, though, is fine with Embiid shooting from deep.

Michigan took advantage of Villanova's loss at St. John's to jump into the top three, Ohio State climbed three spots to No. The Jayhawks began their Top 25 streak on Feb. 2, 2009, when freshman guard Bryce Thompson was 6 years old. “We have plenty of games to go win and I know this team can do it,” Kansas guard Christian Braun said. 15, followed by Tennessee, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Creighton and Southern California. The Bruins dropped out, along with Kansas, Florida and Drake, whose 18-0 start was spoiled in a 74-57 loss to Valparaiso.

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.

Oklahoma guards De'Vion Harmon (11) and Elijah Harkless (24) react during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)NORMAN, Okla. – De’Vion Harmon scored 22 points and Oklahoma beat No. Reaves scored 16 points, all in the second half, and made 10 of 11 free throws. Kansas put Oklahoma in the bonus early in the second half and the Sooners took advantage, making 18 of 22 foul shots after not having a free-throw attempt in the first half. Oklahoma: Oklahoma hasn’t cracked the Top 25 this season, but now is in sole possession of third place in a league with five top-15 teams.

Baylor guard Jared Butler (12) shoots a three-point basket past Kansas guard Marcus Garrett (0) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Waco, Texas. Butler had a season-high 30 points and eight assists as the Bears remained undefeated with a 77-69 victory Monday night over No. 9 Kansas, which has lost consecutive Big 12 games for the first time in nearly eight years. “To win the Big 12, we’re going to need all 15 guys, we need everybody, we need the staff. “They were real focused, like we’ve been for every game,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

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.

3 Kansas suspended forward Silvio De Sousa indefinitely Wednesday for his role in the Jayhawks' brawl with Kansas State near the end of their game Tuesday night. De Sousa was the main instigator on the Kansas side, but he may not be the only one facing punishment. 22 of the Kansas Jayhawks, picks up a chair during a brawl as the game against the Kansas State Wildcats ends at Allen Fieldhouse on January 21, 2020, in Lawrence, Kansas. "The incident last night was not good for Kansas, it was not good for Kansas State, it was not good for college basketball," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said Wednesday. The two schools are scheduled to meet again February 29 at Kansas State.

3 Kansas suspended forward Silvio De Sousa indefinitely Wednesday for his role in the Jayhawks' brawl with Kansas State near the end of their game Tuesday night. De Sousa was the main instigator on the Kansas side, but he may not be the only one facing punishment. 22 of the Kansas Jayhawks, picks up a chair during a brawl as the game against the Kansas State Wildcats ends at Allen Fieldhouse on January 21, 2020, in Lawrence, Kansas. "The incident last night was not good for Kansas, it was not good for Kansas State, it was not good for college basketball," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said Wednesday. The two schools are scheduled to meet again February 29 at Kansas State.

Silvio De Sousa #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks picks up a chair during a brawl as the game against the Kansas State Wildcats ends at Allen Fieldhouse on January 21, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. Third-ranked Kansas and Kansas State ended their bitter showdown Tuesday night with a wild melee in the disabled seating behind the Wildcats' basket that included punches, shoving and at least one player threatening to swing a stool. Kansas State shot technical free throws to booing from a few thousand fans, and the one make necessitated a change to the final box score. And while Self said he didn't agree with the steal and layup attempt, he did acknowledge that Kansas State was merely playing to the final whistle. Asked what his message was in the locker room after the game, Self replied: "There was no discussion on what happened from their vantage point.

"I take full responsibility for not thoroughly vetting all the details of the performance and offer my personal apology to those who were offended. "We strive to create a family atmosphere at Kansas and fell short of that this evening. 20 jersey with "Snoop" on the back, the artist performed for about 35 minutes to a full house that included the men's and women's basketball teams. He later told The Kansas City Star he expected a "radio edited" version of the songs. Also cited is a lack of institutional control within the program.The document does not detail what Kansas is accused of doing.

(CNN) - Kansas Jayhawks athletic director Jeff Long issued an apology Friday night following Snoop Dogg's raucous performance at an annual university event that included pole dancers. The hip-hop artist's appearance at the "Late Night in the Phog" kickoff at the University of Kansas caused controversy when Snoop, wearing a blue No. 20 Kansas jersey, sang to a cheering crowd while backed by dancers twirling around stripper poles. "We apologize for the Snoop Dogg performance at Late Night," Long said in a statement. Last week, the Kansas Jayhawks were charged by the NCAA with five Level I and two Level II violations, including a lack of institution control charge and a violation of coaching responsibilities standard.