HoopsHD finishes its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t) with the final game of the season — the National Championship. After seeing tons of surprises and lots of great game throughout the conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament, there are only two teams left. The Kansas Jayhawks and Oregon Ducks are meeting in Atlanta — with the trophy and a chance to cut down the nets on the line.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL FOUR – ATLANTA, GEORGIA
(1) Kansas vs (4) Oregon
The national championship game is set. There is one final game left on the 2019-20 calendar. The winner would cut down the nets and celebrate their One Shining Moment that would last in the minds and hearts of their fans forever. To see that the Kansas Jayhawks had advanced to the title game was no surprise, as they were the #1 overall seed in the tournament. Even then, KU had its naysayers. Kansas’ road to the title game had come against a 16-seed (Robert Morris), an 8-seed (Arizona), a 12-seed (Liberty), an 11-seed (Wichita State) and another 12-seed (Yale). By seeding at least, having to face 4-seed Oregon was going to be the Jayhawks toughest test yet during this entire event. However, the path to a national championship simply requires a team to win against the six foes that they face in the bracket and does not require teams to go through every possible opponent. Kansas had done what was needed each step of the way, and with one more win, Bill Self’s squad would claim their fourth NCAA Tournament national championship and second under Coach Self.
The Oregon Ducks had won the NCAA Tournament once before as well, though that title came all the way back in 1939 in the first ever tournament. Although the Ducks had been in the Final Four three years ago, they had not played in the championship game since that 1939 season – giving them an undefeated record in title games (1-0). The Ducks’ path to the finals this year had not been an easy one at all. After defeating 13-seed Bradley, they had to win tough, close games against 5-seed BYU, 1-seed Gonzaga and 2-seed San Diego State. Perhaps one of the easiest games they had, amazingly enough, had been the national semifinal win over 1-seed Baylor. Unlike Kansas, there was no doubt that Oregon had earned its spot in the championship game, with a pair of 1-seeds, a 2-seed and a 5-seed all having fallen to Dana Altman’s squad along the way. To cut down the nets, however, Oregon would have to defeat yet another 1-seed, and this one would be the toughest foe they had faced all season.
With the fans packed in the stadium, the national championship game got underway on the evening of Monday, April 6. Kansas head coach Bill Self was looking for his second career national title, but Dana Altman’s team was ready to take it themselves. Oregon came out strong in the first half, opening the game with a 12-4 run to take the early lead. The Ducks continued to extend that lead throughout the first half, answering every run that the Jayhawks threw at them. A Will Richardson 3-ball with just under 90 seconds left to play gave Oregon its biggest lead at a commanding 49-30. KU was able, however, to score the last five points of the half, but still went to the break trailing 49-35.
Kansas may have been down at halftime, but they were by no means out. A rejuvenated Jayhawks team came out of the locker room and promptly put together a 15-5 run to cut the Oregon lead down to 6 in less than six minutes of game time. Oregon tried to regain their first-half momentum, but Kansas had an answer every time the Ducks tried to make a run. Finally, with 5:55 left to play, Christian Braun hit a jumper to give KU its first lead of the game, 70-69. The teams exchanged shots for the next 3 minutes until Chris Duarte knocked down a jumper on the pass from Payton Pritchard to put Oregon up a point. The Ducks drew an offensive foul on Udoka Azubuike, and an Anthony Mathis shot from beyond the arc extended their lead. Azubuike cut the lead to 3, 84-81, on a layup with 38 seconds left, but Duarte made two free throws to extend it back to 5. Marcus Garrett’s layup a few second later cut the lead back down to three and the Jayhawks fouled Oregon’s Francis Okoro. Okoro missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving KU a chance to tie the game. Ocahi Agbaji got a 3-pointer away with 9 seconds on the clock, but the shot did not fall. A free throw by Okoro was the final point of the game, and the Oregon Ducks, behind Tournament MVP Payton Pritchard’s 35 points, had won the game by a final score of 85-81.
The Oregon Ducks had done it. The 4-seed and Pac-12 regular season champion had found a way to defeat three 1-seeds and a 2-seed on their path to the national championship. The Tournament That Wasn’t was over, and the One Shining Moment belonged to the team from Eugene. It was an amazing tournament, featuring amazing games, Cinderella stories, and an unlikely champion. We here at HoopsHD thank you for joining us on this journey and hope that you and all your loved ones stay safe and stay healthy. We will talk to you again real soon!
Final Score: (4) Oregon 85, (1) Kansas 81
