KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Sporting Alert, Box Score) — Travis Releford scored 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead No. 1 seed Kansas to a 70-58 win over North Carolina in their NCAA March Madness tournament game at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Sunday.
Trailing 30-21 at half-time, the Jayhawks (31-5) rallied to outscore the Tar Heels 49-28 to take their third successive tournament victory over North Carolina.
Jeff Withey collected 16 points, 16 rebounds and five steals in the win as well for Kansas, which handed head coach Bill Self bragging rights over his rival coach.
P.J. Hairston led North Carolina with 15 points and nine rebounds, with James Michael McAdoo being the only other Tar Heels player in double figures with 11 points.
The sophomore forward also had four steals in the defeat for the No. 8 seed, which shot a disappointing 30-percent from the field on an unproductive 22-for-73 shooting.
Top Performers
North Carolina: P. Hairston 15 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl
Kansas: J. Withey 16 Pts, 16 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 Blk
