WATCH: Brady Manek shares touching moment with family after Final Four win
Brady Manek has put together a strong season for North Carolina and played a pivotal role in the Tar Heels’ success throughout the campaign. Coming into Saturday night’s Final Four matchup with longtime rival Duke averaging 21.5 points and eight rebounds during the NCAA Tournament, Manek registered another big performance with 14 points, four rebounds and three blocks to help lead UNC to an 81-77 win – and a spot in Monday night’s national championship game against top-seeded Kansas.
Although North Carolina didn’t put together the strongest regular season, which included some questionable losses, the Tar Heels closed their slate on a high note and have made a memorable postseason run to the national title game in Hubert Davis’ first season as head coach – and Manek is a big reason for the success.
After all of the obstacles that have been thrown North Carolina’s way this season, and after many people called the Tar Heels soft, Saturday’s Final Four win meant a lot to the team – especially Manek, who was caught on camera celebrating with his family in the stands. It was a special, emotional moment for the veteran forward, who transferred to North Carolina after playing four seasons at Oklahoma from 2017-2021.
Following the Final Four win over Duke, North Carolina will now face off with Kansas on Monday night in the national championship game. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. ET at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with TBS carrying the national broadcast.
Manek: ‘I didn’t expect to be in this stage’ after transferring from Oklahoma
Meeting with reporters last week prior to the Final Four, Brady Manek was asked what it has meant to him to be able to transfer to such a storied program like North Carolina and make a Final Four run this season.
“It’s special,” Manek said. “When I decided to come here, I knew the history. I knew that North Carolina plays in big games. I didn’t expect to be in this stage, but the way the year has gone, the last month and a half for us, it’s been unbelievable. … And we’ve been playing really well and we’ve earned it – and that is why we are here.”
After his 14-point performance against Duke, Manek is now averaging 15.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on 49.3% shooting from the field heading into the national championship.