Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Entertainment
Zach Koons

Mark Emmert’s ‘Kansas City Jayhawks’ Blunder Goes Viral After Men’s Title Game

Before Kansas cut down the nets after Monday night’s 72–69 victory over UNC in the men’s national championship game, NCAA president Mark Emmert congratulated the Jayhawks on a job well done during the trophy presentation. 

Unfortunately, he made a fairly significant mistake when wrapping up his speech. When announcing the new national champions, Emmert introduced the program as the “Kansas City Jayhawks.”

Emmert quickly corrected the gaffe, but received a rather confused reaction from the crowd in the Caesars Superdome. An even stronger reaction broke out on social media as college basketball fans and media members couldn’t believe that the NCAA president managed to botch the name of one of the sport’s most storied programs.

Despite Emmert’s blunder, Kansas managed to steal the show in New Orleans, overcoming the largest deficit in national championship game history to win the program’s fourth title and second under coach Bill Self. Star guard Ochai Agbaji earned NCAA tournament MOP honors after scoring 12 points and grabbing down three rebounds in Monday’s win.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.