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Published Apr 3, 2022
Jalen Wilson previews national title game with North Carolina
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Conner Becker  •  JayhawkSlant
Staff Writer
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@ctbecker

New Orleans – Kansas redshirt sophomore Jalen Wilson is one day away from the game of his life: the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.

Wilson’s 11 points and 12 rebounds against 2-seed Villanova were good for a double-double, his third of the tournament.

And after the Jayhawks drove through the Wildcats 81-65 in the semifinal round, 8-seed North Carolina knocked off 2-seed Duke in a heated 81-77 finish to seat themselves beside KU in the national title game.

Kansas will have its hands full with a talented Tar Heels program led by scoring weapon(s) Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, and former Oklahoma Sooner Brady Manek, all of which average 15+ points per game.

Wilson singled out Bacot and Manek as the two most concerning players in the paint.

“They’ve got two physical guys in the paint,” Wilson said. “Armando’s one of the best rebounders in the country, so we're boxing out every single play. Brady’s pretty good because he's able to step out and go inside. We’re just going to have to run them off the line and shoot contested 2s.”

In addition to North Carolina’s strong paint pressure, sophomore(s) Caleb Love and RJ Davis fuel the Tar Heels' offense from the perimeter and strengthen the defensive stability on the other end of the floor. Love (28) and Davis (18) led the North Carolina scoring against the Blue Devils.

But as daunting as the matchup seems, Wilson isn’t approaching things any differently.

“I haven’t really had any nerves going through this tournament,” Wilson said. “I think we’ve just been so confident and preparing for what we need to win.”

Shaking those mental battles has been critical to how Kansas head coach Bill Self prepares his roster. Wilson shared his perspective of being under Self’s wing for nearly three full seasons.

“Coach (Self) is always going to get the best out of you,” Wilson said. “I think that’s what makes him so good because we’re so well-prepared for the adversity that comes throughout the game. No matter if it’s in practice or games... He’s in the hall of fame for a reason. Just listen to him, appreciate what he says and know that he’s going to get you through it.”

Crediting last season’s second-round loss to USC as a motivator toward the success Kansas has seen in the 2022 tournament, Wilson believes it helped bring the picture together after having their emotions tested last season.

“To lose like that, it’s always tough,” Wilson said.

“Especially with how our team was last year, we were so up and down,” he added. “It was just kind of devastating. But being able to go back and work during the Summer, focus on what we needed to big better at, tighten up on defense, and just knowing you don’t have to do that again. Now, I have a chance to win the championship and redeem all that, it’s pretty special.”

Hear everything the players said today in the breakout rooms.