Basketball is a game of runs. Monday's grand finale was a game of punches — and counterpunches.

ICYMI: Kansas erased a 15-point halftime deficit to beat UNC, 72-69, and claim its fourth national title and first since 2008.

• It's the largest comeback in national championship game history and makes Bill Self the 16th D-I men's basketball coach with multiple titles.
• UNC had been 46-0 in the NCAA tournament when leading by double digits at the half, the longest streak in history. They're now 46-1.

Game recap: Kansas had trailed at halftime just once in the tournament. And just like they did against Miami in the Elite Eight, the Jayhawks came out of halftime firing, outscoring the battered Tar Heels, 47-29.

• By the numbers: UNC shot just 31.5% from the field but kept things close thanks to a 55-35 rebounding edge.
• Most Outstanding Player: Ochai Agbaji (33 combined points) won Final Four MOP. David McCormack (40 and 19) had a great case.
• The final seconds: "And the game is over! Kansas completes the biggest championship comeback [of] all time!" — Jim Nantz

Flashback: In 2020, the Kansas men and South Carolina women would have been No. 1 seeds and among the title favorites — but March Madness was canceled. Two years later, they're both champs. Take that, COVID.

What they said: "Would you rather be down 15 with 20 left or down nine with two left?" Self asked his team at halftime, alluding to KU's comeback in the 2008 title game — and giving his players the belief that the night could still be theirs.

The other side: Tar Heel Nation just went through "an unprecedented emotional science experiment," writes Slate's Alex Kirschner:

"No sports fan base has ever taken such a hard bit of whiplash in such a short time. It's like if Team USA had won the 'Miracle on Ice' and topped it off by losing to Finland."

Parting thoughts: In college basketball, March Madness is everything. Sure, we watch the big regular-season games and follow the AP poll movement. But more than perhaps any other sport, we're always looking ahead to the postseason.

• March is when America really starts tuning in, our eyes glued to the screen for conference tournaments and opening weekend chaos, all the way through the ceremonial rendition of "One Shining Moment."
• On paper, there's some risk in banking an entire sport's brand and success on the final month of the season fulfilling its potential and delivering on its promise. But here's the thing: it always does.

The bottom line: The last three weeks reminded us why we love sports. From Cinderella stories, to bitter rivalries, to thrilling comebacks, to the electricity of a jam-packed Superdome (we are so back!!!), it was everything everywhere all at once.

🎶 Watch: "One Shining Moment" (Twitter)

"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is currently airing on HBO. Meanwhile, the present-day Lakers are writing a script of their own: Call it "Losing Time."

Why it matters: This dichotomy has turned the series — which uses Ikegami cameras to teleport viewers back to 1979 — into a form of escape for Lakers fans. And that could be great news for HBO.

What they're saying: "People have asked me if the Lakers being terrible is bad for the show, and I tell them it's actually the opposite," says Jeff Pearlman, whose 2014 book, "Showtime," is the basis for the series.

• "I learned this from books: People get very nostalgic when their team sucks. So I feel like the Lakers being awful is actually great for the show," he tells me.
• "The power of sports, more than anything, is reminding you of how you felt and what it was like living in a certain time period, or being in a certain place."

The backstory: That nostalgia Pearlman describes is a big reason why this show got made in the first place.

• On Easter Sunday in 2014, down-on-his-luck screenwriter Jim Hecht showed up at Pearlman's door with a simple pitch: He loved the book and wanted to turn it into a series.
• "I grew up in Orange County, and to me, the greatest days in the world were going to see the Lakers play at The Forum," Hecht tells me. "I was the kid that would wait outside after games for autographs."

Fast-forward: Eight years later, "Winning Time" is a reality, with Hecht serving as co-creator, writer and executive producer. Most importantly, he's finally doing what he loves.

• "This all sprang out of a really dark period in my life, where I had this realization that I had to stop trying to make stuff that other people want to see, and make the show that I'd want to watch."
• "I'm the target audience [for this show]," says Hecht, whose prior résumé was almost exclusively animation (he wrote "Ice Age 2"). "I met Magic Johnson when I was six. I still keep that picture by my desk."

The last word: "To be able to walk on The Forum floor that we built [on a soundstage] is incredible," says Hecht. "There's Kareem. There's Magic. There's Dr. Buss. It's like walking into the fantasy of my childhood."

ICYMI ... Sunday's episode depicted the Lakers' 1979 opener against the Clippers, who had a player named Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. "Winning Time" used that opportunity to weave in a tribute to his son, Kobe.

The NBA's first 82-game regular season since 2019 ends this Sunday, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

Where it stands: Eight teams have clinched playoff spots, three have clinched play-in berths and nine have been eliminated, leaving the fate of 10 teams still up in the air.

• East: The field of 10 is set and incredibly tight, but there are still two crucial playoff spots up for grabs.
• West: Three through eight is jumbled, but the top two teams are miles ahead of the pack and the bottom three are fighting for their lives. The Lakers are all but dead (0.3% chance).

Awards races:

• Scoring title: LeBron James (30.3 ppg), Joel Embiid (30.2) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.1) are nearly tied, and could be the first trio of 30-point scorers since 2006 (James, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson).
• MVP: Nikola Jokić (-310) is the favorite, but Embiid (+250) and Antetokounmpo (+550) are still alive in one of the closest races ever.
• ROY: Cleveland's Evan Mobley (-250) leads Toronto's Scottie Barnes (+220) and Detroit's Cade Cunningham (+750).
• DPOY: Could Marcus Smart (+135) or Mikal Bridges (+390) become just the third non-big man to win since 1996, or will Bam Adebayo (+270) or Rudy Gobert (+500) continue the trend?
• Sixth man: Miami's Tyler Herro (20.6 ppg) has this one in the bag.
• COY: Phoenix's Monty Williams is a virtual lock.

Go deeper: Power rankings (ESPN)

⚾️ Pujols forever: Albert Pujols will be the Cardinals DH for his 22nd consecutive Opening Day start. That ties Hank Aaron and Carl Yastrzemski for second-most behind only Pete Rose (23 straight).

🏈 Back to work: The Dolphins, Giants, Bears and Saints began their offseason workout programs on Monday. Dates for every team.

💵 Three Comma Club: Forbes' 36th annual World's Billionaires List is out today. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer comes in at No. 14 with a net worth of $68.7 billion. Casual!

⚾️ Must-see video: The Mariners announced Monday that top prospect Julio Rodriguez, 21, made the Opening Day roster. Watch him find out.

Tiger Woods looked "phenomenal" in Monday's practice round at Augusta National, according to Fred Couples, who played with Woods and Justin Thomas.

"What impressed me the most is he was bombing it. I know JT's not the longest hitter on tour, but I know he's damn long. He was with him, flushing it."

"I hope everything keeps going Tuesday and Wednesday, and I'm sure he's going to tee it up Thursday. ... If he can walk around here for 72 holes, he'll contend. He's too good."

The (apparel) intrigue: Woods, who's been with Nike since 1996, caused some commotion when he showed up Sunday in a pair of FootJoy spikes. He appeared to be wearing the same model on Monday.

• There's speculation that Woods opted for the FootJoys due to his specific comfort needs post-surgery, and Nike's opaque statement did nothing to counter that narrative.
• In 2019, it was estimated that Nike reaped ~$22.5 million in brand value from Woods marching around Augusta in Nike apparel on a single Sunday of the Masters, notes Axios' Nathan Bomey.

Go deeper: Major storylines at Augusta (CBS)

Tennessee earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking last week and responded by sweeping perennial juggernaut Vanderbilt on the road, Jeff writes.

State of play: Tennessee's only loss this season came a month ago against then-No. 1 Texas. Nobody is hotter than the Volunteers, and the buzz surrounding the program is at an all-time high.

• Hitting: The Vols lead the nation in HR (69), and they're top four in batting average (.325), doubles (79) and runs scored (293).
• Pitching: Their 1.80 ERA leads the nation, and redshirt junior Ben Joyce hit 104.1 mph, faster than any pitch thrown in MLB last year.

The big picture: Tennessee and fellow SEC power Arkansas are 1-2, but the ACC leads the way with eight ranked teams, followed by the SEC (6), Big 12 (4) and Pac-12 (3).

• In and out: UCLA is No. 15 after sweeping then-No. 20 Oregon, who dropped out. No. 18 Southern Miss and No. 21 NC State are also in, taking Florida and Georgia Tech's spots.
• Biggest riser: Texas State jumped 10 spots to No. 10 for the program's first-ever top-10 ranking.

Go deeper: Vols are bold, brash and on top of the college baseball world (ESPN)

TAMPA — MVP favorite Auston Matthews scored a hat trick on Monday to lead Toronto past Tampa Bay, 6-2, and tie the Maple Leafs record for goals in a season (54).

• Wild stat: Matthews is averaging 0.64 goals per game for his career, the fifth-best mark in NHL history.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Carlos Correa in a Twins jersey looks weird! Two more sleeps 'til baseball.

SAN ANTONIO — Swimming photography should be celebrated more. No idea how you did it, Maddie, but here's to you. So awesome.

The Champions League quarterfinals kick off today with two first-leg matches — one hosted by a juggernaut and the other by the biggest underdog left in the field.

• Manchester City vs. Atlético Madrid (3pm ET, CBS): The reigning Premier League and LaLiga champs square off in England.
• Benfica vs. Liverpool (3pm, Paramount+): The red-hot Reds (one loss in 2022) take their talents to Lisbon.

More to watch:

• 🏀 NBA: Bucks at Bulls (8pm, ESPN); Lakers at Suns (10:30pm, NBA)
• 🏒 NHL: Maple Leafs at Panthers (7pm, ESPN+); Avalanche at Penguins (7pm, ESPN+)
• ⚾️ Spring training: Tigers at Yankees (1pm, MLB); Guardians at Rockies (4pm, MLB)
• ⚽️ CONCACAF Champions League: Pumas vs. Cruz Azul (10pm, FS1) ... First-leg semifinal.
• 🏀 G League Playoffs: Long Island Nets at Delaware Blue Coats (8pm, ESPN2); Santa Cruz Warriors at South Bay Lakers (10:30pm, ESPN)

Three MLB teams have never had a player named MVP.

• Question: Can you name them?
• Hint: NL East, NL West, AL East.

Answer at the bottom.

There's no way around it: Jim Nantz has had, and will continue to have, a better week than you.

• Saturday: Call the Final Four
• Monday: Call the National Championship
• Thursday-Sunday: Call the Masters