NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL FOUR: NORTH CAROLINA VS KANSAS

April 4, 2022

Bill Self

David McCormack

Mitch Lightfoot

Christian Braun

Dajuan Harris Jr.

Ochai Agbaji

Remy Martin

Jalen Wilson

Caesars Superdome

Kansas Jayhawks

Finals Postgame Media Conference

Kansas - 72, North Carolina - 69

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Kansas.

Q. What was the message and for you what was the key to the second half to remain patient and kind of chip away at that lead?

OCHAI AGBAJI: I would say it kind of just took us back to when we were at K-State. The message was obviously different. Coach, he obviously challenged us and he was amped up in there. But it was a matter of us playing our game and executing in the second half and taking away what they were getting at in the first half.

MITCH LIGHTFOOT: I would say -- I said this a couple of days ago in media, with the group of guys as experienced as this and been around and know each other so well, it's kind of hard to see us get rattled. And I think we bounced back at halftime. Coach had a great message for us, and he challenged us to be better and to have more pride. And we did that.

Q. Curious what sparked that in the second half. Coach said you really got after him there. And I wonder if there was something specific and also if you saw how it affected North Carolina.

OCHAI AGBAJI: It was Dajuan he sparked it in the second half. Coach said it in the locker room. Just his defensive pressure rubbed off on everyone else and that's where we got that momentum from on the defensive end and everything else fell in place on the offense.

DAJUAN HARRIS JR.: I just wanted to go. I didn't want to lose. When I came to college I came to college with them, (indiscernible) Remy. I just wanted to give it my all for them. That's all it was.

Q. David, what does it feel like for you to score the last two baskets of a championship game after all the things you've been through in your career -- the criticism, the injuries you've had to fight through? Can you encapsulate what that means to you?

DAVID MCCORMACK: It was a big play. And it shows how much trust Coach and teammates have in me. Coach called the play and said we're going to throw it inside and we have trust in you and faith in you to deliver and get us a basket. I just prevailed, I made the basket happen. I appreciate them for allowing me to have that opportunity.

Q. On the first of those two, when you got the offensive rebound and both Armando and Brady were on you, you didn't hesitate to go back up. You had three open teammates, four open teammates at that point but you went right back up. Could you talk about why you were able to finish that play?

DAVID MCCORMACK: 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. I'm able to use both hands When get a quick basket and get back on defense.

COACH SELF: I think we're probably all a little overwhelmed and spent. And 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.

Q. Christian, wondering for you, you had the assignment on Love there in the last 4 seconds, and he's taking that 3. What's going through your mind and how do you defend him, and what do you see when he misses the rim?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: We were switching everything. I switched onto him. We were trying to make to make him obviously take a 2. It was just me and him one-on-one. I thought I got a pretty good hand up. It looked short from when he shot it. When I turned around it was short. When it came off, it felt good.

Q. David said out there at halftime he was smiling. It was kind of like just do what we do. And guys were looking at him weird, like, despite the deficit, he was encouraged. What did you guys think of kind of his reaction to where you guys were at that point?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: He was looking at me, and I was like, why are you smiling, dude? We're down 15. He was telling me, like, keep your head up, keep going, we'll be all right. I was, like, man, I don't know if I've ever been here before. (Laughter).

Down 15 in a national championship game, I definitely never been there. But we're just proud of him and he kept us going and then obviously hit a really big shot.

Q. After the Miami comeback, you said your halftime speech was mostly, I told them we need to play better. Did you run that inspiration back at halftime? What did you say?

COACH SELF: There wasn't much inspiration. I did tell them before the half was over, I said, which would be harder, being down nine with two minutes left or being down 15 with 20? And they all said being down nine with two minutes left. So we can do this. And because that's the way it was in '08.

And we got, what did we get, three or four stops in a row to start the half. And 15 went to nine like that (snapping fingers) and it was anybody's game. It was special how Juan triggered that to start the second half.

Q. You said you've talked to your dad more in the past couple months than you have whenever he was alive. Did he say anything to you during or after this one?

COACH SELF: Well, I said that, I talked to my dad a lot when he was alive, but not as much as he wanted me to. And you know, and so many parents that are my age grew up with families that lived through The Depression and The Dust Bowl and everything else. And so he always felt that nothing was ever given, everything had to be earned.

And, so, I think he would be very proud of this team because he knows, without question, they earned what happened tonight.

Q. Wanted to ask you about Ochai really fast. Is he the most accomplished player you've ever coached maybe in Kansas basketball history?

COACH SELF: No, he's not in Kansas basketball history. I can't say that. I think Danny was pretty good, too. But he's second. He's the most accomplished player that we have had at our university since Danny. To think that four years, win the national championship, win the league, win the Big 12 Tournament, win the NCAA Tournament, to be most outstanding player -- we've never had anybody -- we may have had some guys that had comparable years, but never had anybody cap it off like what he has other than D.

Q. You said earlier that one's not enough as far as championships go. I was hoping you could put in perspective what this means for a program that demands and really craves championships?

COACH SELF: These don't fall off trees. I mean, they're hard to get. And so the first one we got and it was great and everything. And we knocked on the door since then but haven't been able to punch the ticket, so to speak.

So I think when they're the all-time winningest program, just by a slim margin, and when the inventor of the game was your first coach, and when the likes of Adolph Rupp comes from Kansas and Dean Smith comes from Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain comes from Kansas, the expectations are such where being good is okay but it's not enough.

Nobody's ever put pressure on me that we've got to win another one, but I think I put pressure on myself knowing that this place deserves more than what we've won.

Q. Obviously Kansas has had some famous miracles in the past with Mario's miracle and also Danny and the miracles. And obviously there wasn't one player tonight that stood out and got it done for the team. And Coach Self -- I don't know if any one player gets a name after it after this game, but could you talk about how that is maybe different than previous Kansas teams and this was such a balanced attack?

COACH SELF: When Rio, he made the shot, and it was Mario's miracle, and it stuck, but Darrell Arthur was actually the best player in that game. But Mario gets all the credit, which he deserves for making the shot, I think all seven of these guys would be totally content after being around them all long this this is the 2022 miracle. I think they'll enjoy it more not having a name attached to it because that's how we played all year long.

Q. Does this championship kind of fill the void from 2020? I know during the week we talked about not being able to play with that team because of COVID. But does this kind of fill a little bit of that void that you all didn't get a chance to kind of do it? And secondly, for the players, are you all ready to run it back again?

COACH SELF: Well, you need to ask a new group of players. Most of these guys will be gone next year.

But with the 2020, I think in 2020, we would have sold out on winning one whenever it was before '22. To me Devon was here tonight, Doke couldn't be here, Marcus couldn't be here and Isaiah couldn't be here. But to me this was partially won for them too. I don't know how you guys feel. It's partially won for them because I always thought the 2020 team was better, more equipped to do well in the NCAA Tournament.

After the way these guys played the last month, I think this team can play with any team Kansas has ever put on the floor.

Q. Ochai, Bill just said a lot of nice things about you. You also were MVP of this whole thing. What's your reaction to being MVP of the tournament or the Final Four, and about what Coach said about Danny and you and all that?

OCHAI AGBAJI: He talked to me about it. Obviously on the podium there just then and in the podium when we were in Chicago. But I wouldn't say winning the most outstanding player of this, I don't really care because we won the national championship.

But if I really had a most outstanding player throughout the entire Final Four it would be David. We got here at the same time. These goals and dreams that we're living right now we never would have thought it when we first stepped foot on campus, but now living it and living it with him and leaving here with history and history in our name it just means so much to the both of us and obviously Mitch and all the guys here.

Q. Mitch, you played six years of college basketball with Kansas. Describe your feelings now that it's over. How do you feel ending it with a national title?

MITCH LIGHTFOOT: What a way to go out. I'm so happy for these guys. So happy for Coach. So happy for Kansas, our fans. It just means the world to them. And as far as six years of college, I figure you stay around long enough you're bound to get one.

No, I was super blessed to be a part of this group. 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.

Q. Remy, talk about your journey coming here playing with these guys? And tonight's performance by you in the second half, you hit three big 3s, big defensive plays as well. What propelled you to just be able to come in there and take those shots with confidence?

REMY MARTIN: This year has been a tough year individually for me, just injuries and just hard to find a groove sometimes. But it felt great. These guys have been amazing throughout the whole process. They've always kept me going, and they always gave me confidence. And I couldn't ask for a better group.

In the second half, I just came in there, tried to make something happen and shot the shots with confidence and just tried to make plays. Dajuan did a great job and the team did a great job of getting that lead back, and I just didn't want the deficit to change. I wanted to keep going and extend that lead. And I'm happy that we did that.

Q. David, after trailing by 15 points, what was the turning point that you knew you had a chance to win?

DAVID MCCORMACK: Honestly, I didn't see it as a turning point. Like I said before, I was in the locker room telling the guys, just believe in yourself, have fun with it; it's our last game regardless. Do what you need to do because that's how we got here in the first place. Don't doubt yourself. And we came out in the second half. Juan dictated the game on defense. Everybody else just followed suit. He's a floor general. He can lock up anybody on the court. And he just came out with great energy, and we followed the same way.

Q. Coach, this obviously puts you in a different echelon, different conversation in terms of coaches that are active and those that are not that have won multiple national championships. How much going into this game was that on your mind and just your overall thoughts on winning your second?

COACH SELF: That wasn't on my mind, but I do feel that as many good teams as we've had over time, that we could have had more than one. So even though, like I said earlier, I never felt pressure from anybody that we had to do this. But I knew with what we've had that we easily could have done more. I actually think it means a lot to me. And this year, I don't know how these guys feel about me, but I've never felt more connected to a group than I have this year.

And when you go through stuff and when individuals go through stuff, everybody deals with crap. But I never said a word to these guys about anything I was going through, but they rose their own level to a level that propped me up. This is what makes coaching the best, because players can learn from coaches, but certainly coaches can learn from players.