‘It’s Bigger Than Basketball’: Kansas Jayhawks Overcome 16-Point Deficit to Win NCAA Championship

The Kansas Jayhawks of the University of Kansas took home their fourth national championship title after defeating the University of North Carolina’s Tarheels in the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship in New Orleans Monday night.

As reported by CBN News, the Jayhawks came back from a 16-point deficit, making the largest comeback in the history of the men’s championship.

“To win when your team had to come back and fight the way they did, showed that much grit. Makes this one off the charts,” Kansas Coach Bill Self said after the game. “I thought this would be good, but it’s a heck of a lot better than I thought it would be. I don’t know how these guys feel about me, but I’ve never been more connected to a group than I have these guys this year,” he added.

Kansas forward Mitch Lightfoot praised his coach, noting that he felt very “blessed” to be a part of the team this year.

“Coach had a great message for us, and he challenged us to be better and to have more pride, and we did that. I was super blessed to be part of this group,” Lightfoot said. “Just getting to see these guys work day in and day out means the world to me. I was glad we were able to get one.”

In an interview with CBN Sports during the Final Four, several players from the Jayhawks opened up about their Christian faith.

Joe Yesufu and Jalen Coleman-Lands, who serve as Kansas’ backcourt duo, credited their mothers for grounding them in the faith.

“My family was always around the church, and I’m just grateful that she told me to believe in Him. It’s definitely a blessing being here. You know, without Him, we wouldn’t be where we are today. And just being in the Final Four, not a lot of people have gotten to this point,” Yesufu explained. “I try to spread His word through this game. It’s bigger than basketball. That’s the way I look at it.”

Yesufu also has Philippians 4:13 in his Twitter bio. The verse says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“My faith is the reason why I’m here today. It’s molded me into the man I am today. Being able to use this platform to spread His Word,” Coleman-Lands told CBN Sports, “Being able to have an opportunity to still play is an opportunity for us to continue doing what God has given us the talents to do, which is to play and use our talents for the greater good.”

Related:

Tar Heels’ Hubert Davis Views Coaching as ‘Missionary Work’: ‘I Pray’ for My Players

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Tom Pennington/Staff

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.

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