‘Nothing to lose’: Christian Braun delivers for KU Jayhawks in biggest moments vs. Nova
When Christian Braun let it fly deep beyond the three-point line on the left wing, his former high school coach had an inkling what might happen next.
From his view in section 215 among more than 70,000 fans packed into the Superdome for the NCAA Final Four on Saturday night, former Blue Valley Northwest coach Ed Fritz beamed with pride as Braun’s deep three-pointer hit nothing but net to all but seal the Kansas men’s basketball team’s fate for Monday’s national championship game.
Braun has done that a time or two for the Huskies, who won three straight Class 6A Kansas high school state championships during his career.
The Burlington native delivered three clutch baskets down the stretch and scored 10 points that were crucial to KU closing out Villanova in an 81-65 victory to punch its ticket to Monday night’s national title game against North Carolina, which defeated Duke 81-77.
“He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and always rising to the occasion,” Fritz said. “The moment is never too big for him. And now he’s where he wants to be.”
For the game’s first 35 minutes, it had been a frustrating shooting performance for Braun, who missed four of his first five shots and was scoreless in the first half. Meanwhile, teammate Ochai Agbaji (21 points) made his first six three-pointers and David McCormack (25 points on 10-for-12 shooting) was nearly unstoppable inside.
But when the Jayhawks needed points trying to stave off a late Villanova rally, with the Wildcats within 68-59, it was Braun who stepped up.
Braun rescued KU late in the shot clock, as point guard Dajuan Harris lost track of the time and Braun cut open on the wing and was ready to fire immediately from five feet behind the three-point line.
“I had nothing to lose, honestly,” Braun said. “Just threw one up there and it went in. These guys told me all game just keep your confidence, keep shooting and they’ll fall. So I was confident in those shots.”
Braun said it helped that he had just made a shot less than a minute earlier, as he juked his defender and finished with a floater in the lane for his first points since the opening minute of the second half.
The triple in the final five minutes changed the momentum of the game for good: instead of another Villanova chance to come within two possessions, the Jayhawks took a double-digit lead.
“It felt like everyone could breathe a little bit after that one,” Fritz said. “It felt like the game was over.”
Not even a minute later, Braun was back at it again late in the shot clock.
The shot clock was under 10 seconds when Jalen Wilson kicked to Braun in the right corner and he launched another three. He shot it as if he already knew it was going in, sticking his landing and keeping his follow-through hanging as the shot once again hit nothing but net — from nearly the same exact spot where he missed a shot earlier in the half.
Drew Molitoris, Braun’s former AAU coach with MoKan Elite, said he wasn’t surprised to see his former pupil come through in a big moment.
“I think the people who know CB haven’t learned anything new about him,” Molitoris said. “But it’s fun to see everyone on the big stage get an understanding and who he is and what he’s all about.”
Fritz, who retired from BV Northwest after last season, felt lucky to be in person for the clutch baskets at all. He was scheduled to fly down to New Orleans from Kansas City on Thursday night, but his flight was canceled.
He frantically asked around and found relief when he was able to find a car ride on Friday — with Braun’s parents, Lisa and Don, and brothers, Parker and Landon. It gave them all a chance to relive their shared memories together, like Christian’s senior season when he averaged 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Huskies to a third straight state title.
And they laughed talking about how much they enjoy watching Christian get going on the basketball court because of how much he yaps — to teammates, to opponents, to the crowd.
“He has a lot of confidence in himself, for sure,” Fritz said. “That’s just who he is. He’s a really nice kid and a really nice person who is really humble, but I think he does that during games to kind of get himself going. He loves to show his emotion and passion for the game.”
And now Braun is one win away from a championship, a position he’s used to being in.
“We don’t come to Kansas to win the Final Four,” Braun said. “We come to win the national championship.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 9:33 PM with the headline "‘Nothing to lose’: Christian Braun delivers for KU Jayhawks in biggest moments vs. Nova."
.jpg)