Kansas Survives Tar Heel Rally, Advances To Final

Brandon Rush scored 25 to pace Kansas past North Carolina. (AP Images)

It was a game of ups and downs. But in the end, Kansas came out on top.

After running out to a 40-12 lead - only to see it whittled to four points midway through the second half - the Kansas Jayhawks advanced to their first National Championship game under Bill Self with a 84-66 win over North Carolina.

Brandon Rush scored 25 points to lead the Jayhawks in a dominant performance against a Tar Heels team that'd run roughshod through the tournament. None of the Carolina victories had been closer than 10 points, so the 18-point loss in the Final Four came as a great shock to those in attendance.

Kansas led by 17 points at halftime after 20 minutes of dominance. The Jayhawks' perimeter defense harassed Marcus Gineyard and Ty Lawson into forgettable performances - the two starting guards combined for just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting. As has been the case all tournament long, the length and quick feet of Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers were the difference. They should match up brilliantly with the Derrick Rose-Chris Douglas-Roberts combo that paced Memphis to a win over UCLA earlier this evening.

If this was the last game in a Tar Heel uniform for junior Tyler Hansbrough, it was one to forget. Psycho T scored 17 points and hauled in nine rebounds, but he also turned the ball over three times and did little defensively. Darnell Jackson hit five of six shots for 12 points and had his way down low for most of the game.

Kansas came into this game as a +3.5-point underdog, covering the spread with ease.