The Big Easy hasn’t particularly taken it easy on the Kansas Jayhawks in recent memory.

The Jayhawks had been denied two national championships inside the Superdome since 2003, but that all changed Monday night as the Jayhawks notched their fourth national championship in school history in a thrilling comeback win.

The Jayhawks held the slight edge entering Monday night being favored by four points over the Tar Heels to win it all. On paper the Jayhawks looked like a far superior team touting one of the best defenses in the country, ranked 20th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Their high-flying offense was also  known to be a devastating factor in games down the stretch. All of this seemingly didn’t matter though as the Jayhawks found themselves down 15 at halftime in what looked like a game that was all but over.

The Tar Heels were in complete control in the first half dominating the paint, outscoring the Jayhawks 40-25. The Jayhawk’s first half game plan looked faulty, and non-existent at times. Tar Heels big man Armando Bacot posted a double-double in the first half with 12 points and 10 rebounds which was his sixth of the tournament. The Tar Heels also held a 18-2 advantage in second-chance points, and went on a 16-0 run towards the later part of the first half.

Coming out of halftime, the Jayhawks looked completely different as adjustments were evident. Kansas stormed out of half scoring 20 points in the first seven minutes of the second half cutting the Tar Heel lead down to just one. Defensively the Jayhawks were forcing turnovers and turning them into fast break points, giving North Carolina little room for error as the Jayhawks were on a 20-6 run.

The Jayhawks took their first lead of the second half on a Remy Martin step back 3 pointer to give Kansas the 68-65 advantage. The lead didn’t last though as North Carolina got the points right back with a quick basket from Caleb Love and a Brandy Manek put back to give the Tar Heels a 69-68 lead.

Drama down the stretch kept North Carolina in the game as the Jayhawks couldn’t build on top of the  small lead that they held after David McCormack hit the Jayhawks final 4 points of the game. The drama came to a head with 4 seconds to go in regulation as the Jayhawks held a 3 point lead when Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. stepped out of bounds to give the Tar Heels an opportunity to send the game to overtime. After numerous three point attempts were missed, the buzzer sounded and the Jayhawks were once again national champions.

David McCormack ended the night having 15 points with 10 rebounds, as Jalen Wilson had 15 points of his own. Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun had 12 points each, and Remy Martin came off the bench and contributed big in the second half ending the night with 14 points and shooting 4 for 6.

Bill Self praised his team after the game saying “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a team flip the script like we have probably in the NCAA Tournament, whether it be Miami in the Elite Eight or whether it be this game. But it would be special to win regardless. But to win when your team had to fight and come back the way they did and show that much grit makes this one off the charts. I thought this would be good. And this is a heck of a lot better than I thought it would be.”

David McCormack when asked about his performance down the stretch said “Game’s on the line. 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.”

The 16 point comeback marks the largest second half comeback in national championship history as it tops the 15 point deficit the 1963 Loyola Chicago team overcame against Cincinnati. The win is the fourth national championship in school history for Kansas and the second for coach Bill Self.

The Jayhawks etched their name in history on Monday night and left little doubt of why they were the last team standing.