Watch: National Anthem at Men’s National Championship Features New Orleans Flair

A nice touch from the Final Four’s host city.
Watch: National Anthem at Men’s National Championship Features New Orleans Flair
Watch: National Anthem at Men’s National Championship Features New Orleans Flair /

Prior to the men’s national championship tipping off on Monday night, a rendition of the national anthem paid homage to the title game’s host city in impressive fashion.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band treated fans to a version of the anthem with some New Orleans flair. A trombone, saxophone, trumpet, tuba and drums carried a jazzy tune as Grammy-nominated singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball handled the vocals.

The New Orleans-style anthem perfectly set the tone for Monday’s title game between North Carolina and Kansas. The Tar Heels are 2–0 in title games in the Superdome, winning in 1982 and 1993, but will have to get past the Jayhawks, who have cruised through their portion of the bracket in this year’s tournament.

Kansas will compete in its 10th national title game on Monday, while UNC will play for a championship for the 12th time.

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.