NCAA tournament 2012: Kansas runs away from North Carolina, into Final Four North Carolina missed its last seven shots to make the score a bit deceiving for a game that featured 15 ties and 13 lead changes. Kansas is now headed back to the Final Four for the 14th time and the first time since 2008. Tyshawn Taylor led the Jayhawks with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Washington native Thomas Robinson had 18 points and nine rebounds. Withey also had 15 points. The defining sequence began with guard Reggie Bullock committing two straight turnovers. Jayhawks guard Elijah Johnson took advantage of the second, hitting Kansas's first three-pointer of the second half with about three minutes left. Withey then blocked North Carolina's Tyler Zeller two possessions later. Taylor stormed down the floor for a fast-break lay-in and was fouled in the process. He hit the ensuing free throw to give the Jayhawks a 74-67 lead. Tar Heels guard Stilman White then tried to hit a finger roll over Withey, who sent it away with ease for his third and final block of the game. Guard Travis Releford followed with a transition dunk that sealed the deal and had Kansas fans delirious. Withey had 10 blocks in the Jayhawks" win over North Carolina State in the Sweet 16, the second most in the NCAA tournament history. Following consecutive turnovers by North Carolina, Kansas took a 66-61 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining when guard Tyshawn Taylor punctuated the sequence with a fast-break dunk that had the Jayhawk faithful roaring. But North Carolina Coach Roy Williams chose not to call a timeout to stem the tide, and guard Stilman White made him look good. He threaded a pass in the lane to forward James McAdoo, who paced the Tar Heels with 15 points off the bench, for a three-point play that pulled the Tar Heels within two. Starting for a second consecutive game because of Marshall's injury, White again looked like he belonged on a court full of future NBA draft picks. He finished the game with seven assists and zero turnovers. North Carolina's chances of reaching its record 19th Final Four were dealt a significant blow about an hour before tip-off Sunday when a school spokesman announced that Marshall would not play. Even worse, the crowd at Edward Jones Dome was decidedly pro-Kansas, and North Carolina forward John Henson sprained his right ankle before the game was five minutes old. But unlike their Sweet 16 win over Ohio, the Tar Heels seemed unaffected by the personnel losses - Henson eventually returned after getting his ankle re-taped - hitting 12 of their first 14 shots during a wildly entertaining first half that saw both teams shoot better than 56 percent. Kansas pulled ahead briefly thanks to the exploits of Taylor and Robinson, who scored seven points during a 9-2 Jayhawk surge when North Carolina missed three of its next 13 shots after that blistering start. But it wasn't long before the Tar Heels responded with an 8-0 run of its own when forward Harrison Barnes finally emerged with a poster-worthy dunk over Withey, an alley-oop slam and a beautiful fadeaway jumper. The two teams entered halftime tied at 47, a fitting score after such a scintillating 20 minutes of basketball.