In the wake of it all—a Kansas turnover that put the ball back in Caleb Love’s hands, his final three-point jumper that could have sent the men’s national championship into overtime—graduate assistant Brandon Robinson held Love as he covered his face with his Carolina blue jersey and cried.
The emotional scene symbolized the heart-wrenching game that took place moments earlier. At halftime, the Tar Heels led by 15. In the end, the confetti rained down on Caesars Superdome blue and red. It was the Jayhawks who emerged as the men’s March Madness champions Monday on a 72–69 win.
Love, the sophomore guard and fixture in the North Carolina line-up, tweeted on Tuesday agonizing over the loss.
“Hurt to the core,” he wrote with a broken heart emoji. The picture accompanying the tweet was the moment Robinson consoled him.
Two days earlier, the guard led the Tar Heels with 28 points in a colossal win over hated rival Duke. Love was an important piece in No. 8 North Carolina’s run in the NCAA tournament, averaging 18.8 points per game. Against the Jayhawks, he put up 13 points and went 5-for-24 from the field.
During the game’s final moments, Kansas ran an inbound play to Dajuan Harris, but the guard stepped out of bounds, putting the ball back in the Tar Heels’ hands. With 4.3 seconds left to play, Puff Johnson found Love on the inbound, who made his last attempt to force the game into overtime, to give his team a chance at the national championship.
His three-point jumper against the Blue Devils put Duke at a distance to reach the title game. Love’s last three free throws were the final daggers. Against the Jayhawks, Love took his shot—but was short. The last second ticked away, and Kansas players swarmed their bench. They had won the national championship.
In the wake of it all, Robinson held Love. Whether or not the guard returns for a third season with North Carolina remains to be seen, but time will pass and hopefully, the loss’s sting will too.
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