“Game’s on the line,” McCormack said. “You’ve got adrenaline pumping, you’ve got a desire you’re going to get it. Snatch a rebound with two hands. Coach talks about keeping the ball high and going right back up. That’s what was going through my mind. I’m right here, we work on touch shots every day.”
When North Carolina guard Caleb Love missed a 3-point attempt in the final seconds, the Jayhawks and their fans began to celebrate. The noise level in the dome exploded as confetti began to rain down.
“We had some really good possessions late, we posted C.B. a couple of times and everybody contributed, everybody played well, but when we had to have a basket, we went to big Dave and he delivered,” Self said in a television interview.
It was the third straight N.C.A.A. tournament game in which McCormack scored in double figures. He went for 15 points and 4 rebounds in the round of 8 against Miami in Chicago, and then dominated Villanova’s frontcourt to the tune of 25 points and 9 rebounds in the national semifinal on Saturday in New Orleans.
McCormack was named to the all-tournament team along with Love, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, North Carolina’s Armando Bacot and Ochai Agbaji, his Kansas teammate, who also was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four after finishing with 12 points and 3 rebounds Monday.
Entering the game, the battle between McCormack and the 6-foot-9 Bacot was seen as a critical piece to the game.
Bacot injured his right ankle in the national semifinal against Duke on Saturday and looked to be walking gingerly early on Monday, but he played a magnificent game en route to a double-double, with 15 points and 15 rebounds, tying a single-season record with his 31st of the season. He was a major factor as the Tar Heels took a 40-25 halftime lead.