"I'm crushed for Brady Manek! That kid did so much for UNC" - Fans show love to UNC star after he trips on himself on last play during NCAA championship game

Brady Manek and the North Carolina Tar Heels lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in a 72-69 national championship game on Monday. The loss ended Manek's collegiate career despite a strong run in his one season at UNC.

Brady Manek was critical to getting his team a national championship game.

The end of March Madness saw a fantastic game between UNC (29-10) and Kansas (34-6), but only one team could come out as the winner.

Whichever team won needed an outstanding performance from their difference-makers, and Brady Manek and UNC came up short.

For Manek, the loss brings his collegiate career to a conclusion. As a result, fans paid respect to North Carolina's star.

I’m crushed for Brady Manek. That kid did so much for UNC.

Respect to Brady Manek. Future All time Remember That Guy? candidate

Ultra respect @BradyManek. Terrific return from early shots to the head. Came through with enough plays & blocked shots to be fit for a ring. Bacot injury was difference in game. And it left former #Sooners stud having to (try to) contain KU big man late. #UnfairFight. @NEWS9

Hell of a team. Brady Manek is that dude. twitter.com/tatefrazier/st…

And Hubert Davis, thank you for bringing this team back. Thank you Brady Manek, Armando Bacot, Puff Johnson, Leaky Black, RJ Davis. You made an incredible season. And thank you Ol’ Roy Williams for knowing when to step aside to break new ground.

Thank you, Brady Manek. Forever a Tar Heel

Allow myself to be the 7,456th person to acknowledge that it’s wild to watch Brady Manek do all of this stuff during a potential National Title run.

BRADY MANEK

Brady Manek baby!

Let's take a moment to give @BradyManek ALL of the Tar Heel love. You are forever a Heel and will have a home in Chapel Hill for as long as you walk this earth. We don't make this miraculous run without you. Let's hear it, Tar Heel Nation.

Thank You For everything in just one year Brady Manek. @BradyManek @coolauntT https://t.co/qE3wKzAf5m

Manek, who got clobbered twice in the first half, left everything out on the floor. He went through a challenging, physical game, leaving him worn out. He finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in 36 minutes.

From Brady Manek’s legs giving out here on the final play, to Armando Bacot’s ankle giving out right before, to Puff Johnson literally vomiting on the court minutes earlier, the images of UNC’s effort during this run will simply be indelible, result notwithstanding. twitter.com/marchmadnessmb…

Manek's mistakes at the end of the game also drew criticism. However, the reasons for the mistakes are open to debate.

What a sloppy end to a great tournament. Last 3 possessions of the National Championship game.
1) Brady Manek throws ball away
2) Dejuan Harris steps out of bounds
3) The best UNC 3 pt shooter Manek stumbles several times and is out of final play which ends up being air ball 3.

While Manek had two bad plays at the end of the game, he was one of the best players all season. For a team that made a magical run to the national championship game, being one of the best players is significant.

Brady Manek was great for UNC during the end of the season

Brady Manek's shooting helped get UNC to the national championship game.

Manek was one of the best shooters in March Madness, and his role was critical to getting the Tar Heels to the national championship game. While Caleb Love and Armando Bacot drew attention because of their superstar performances, Manek was consistently excellent. (Love and Bacot were named to the all-tournament team.)

Brady Manek is the 2nd player in NCAA Tournament history to make 3 threes in all 6 games of an NCAA Tournament.

The other? Donald Williams, who did it for North Carolina in 1993, leading the Tar Heels to a championship in... New Orleans. https://t.co/q6kiXBDIGW

Manek's ability to guarantee nine points per game plus anything extra, either rebounds or points, allowed his teammates to be more successful.

Consistent excellence is something opposing teams need to account for, and Kansas needed to account for Manek just like Duke and UCLA had to.

If Manek can recreate his performance in March Madness in the NBA, he could have a consistent career at the next level as a role player. NBA teams are always in need of good shooting. Depending on development, he could be even more successful at the next level than he was at UNC.

Manek was a graduate transfer from Oklahoma. He was playing in his fifth college season.