Nobody expected a 15-point halftime deficit to vanish in a cloud of Jayhawk dust. Honestly, if you were sitting in the Caesars Superdome on that Monday night in April, you probably thought Kansas was cooked. Done. Buried under a mountain of North Carolina momentum and Armando Bacot’s rebounding. But that’s the thing about the KU national championship 2022 run—it defied the logic of how momentum usually works in a title game.
Basketball is a game of runs. We hear it all the time. Usually, those runs are four or six points. Maybe an 8-0 spurt that forces a timeout. You don't usually see a team get outscored 40-25 in the first half of a championship game and then just... decide not to lose. It was the largest comeback in the history of the NCAA title game. Think about that. In over 80 years of "One Shining Moment," no one had ever climbed out of a hole that deep on the final stage.
The First Half Disaster and the Self-Correction
The first twenty minutes were a nightmare for Bill Self. Let’s be real: Kansas looked tight. Ochai Agbaji, the Consensus First-Team All-American, was struggling to find air. Christian Braun was grinding but the shots weren't falling. Meanwhile, UNC was playing with house money. They were an 8-seed that had already ruined Mike Krzyzewski’s career the weekend before. They were loose. They were physical.
Hubert Davis had his guys flying. When the buzzer sounded for halftime, the scoreboard read 40-25 in favor of the Tar Heels. The Kansas locker room wasn't a place of panic, though. According to later accounts from the players, there wasn't screaming. It was more of a "we’ve been here before" vibe. David McCormack, the big man who eventually became the hero, just kept telling everyone they were fine.
It's kinda wild how the narrative changed so fast. Most teams in that position start chucking up desperation threes. They try to get it all back at once. Kansas didn't do that. They chipped.
How the KU National Championship 2022 Comeback Actually Happened
It wasn't one single play. It was a suffocating defensive adjustment. Bill Self realized that if they didn't stop the bleeding in the paint, the game was over. They started hedging screens differently. They forced Caleb Love and R.J. Davis into tougher looks.
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Christian Braun started the second half like a man possessed. He scored early. Then Dajuan Harris Jr. started pestering the ball. Suddenly, that 15-point lead was 10. Then 6. The Superdome, which was packed with Kansas fans who had traveled from Lawrence and beyond, started to shake. You could feel the "Blue Blood" history starting to weigh on the Tar Heels.
The David McCormack Factor
We talk a lot about Agbaji because he was the MOP (Most Outstanding Player). He deserved it. He was the soul of that team all year. But David McCormack won that game. Period.
McCormack had been through everything at KU. Foot injuries. Criticism from the fanbase. Inconsistent minutes. But in the final three minutes of the KU national championship 2022, he was the best player on the floor. He scored the final four points for the Jayhawks. Two huge buckets over Bacot and Manek.
It was pure grit. He wasn't jumping over anyone. He was just out-working them. He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but those two hook shots in the closing minute are what stayed in everyone's brains.
Misconceptions About the 2022 Jayhawks
A lot of people look back and say, "Well, Kansas was a 1-seed, they were supposed to win." That’s revisionist history. Throughout the season, the Big 12 was a gauntlet. People doubted if this team had the "it" factor. They didn't have a top-3 NBA draft pick like Duke had with Paolo Banchero or Gonzaga had with Chet Holmgren. They were a team of veterans—guys who had been in the program for four or five years.
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Remy Martin is another guy people forget was a massive question mark. He transferred in from Arizona State with huge expectations, got hurt, fell out of the rotation, and then suddenly became the spark plug in the tournament. Without Remy’s shot-making in the earlier rounds against Providence and Miami, the KU national championship 2022 trophy doesn't exist. He was the ultimate "X-factor" that lived up to the label when the stakes were highest.
The Final Seconds and the Near-Disaster
The ending was chaotic. Dajuan Harris stepped out of bounds with 4.3 seconds left. It was a heart-stopping mistake. It gave UNC one last chance to tie it with a three. Caleb Love, who had been a hero for the Heels all month, got the ball. He took the shot.
It missed. Long.
The buzzer sounded, and the Jayhawks were champions for the fourth time in school history (and the second under Bill Self). It validated everything Self had built. It moved him into that elite tier of coaches with multiple rings, putting him alongside names like Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Jay Wright.
Why This Win Changed the Program's Perception
For years, there was this annoying "choker" narrative surrounding Kansas. People pointed to the losses as a 1-seed to teams like VCU or Northern Iowa. Even though they won in 2008, the "what have you done lately" crowd was loud.
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Winning in 2022 changed that. It showed that the Kansas system—player development over one-and-done stars—could still rule the NIL and transfer portal era. Ochai Agbaji went from a three-star recruit that nobody knew to a lottery pick. Christian Braun became a vital piece of an NBA championship team in Denver shortly after. This wasn't just a lucky run; it was a masterclass in building a roster that peaks at the right time.
The Numbers That Mattered
If you look at the box score, some things jump out. Kansas only shot 25% from three-point range. That’s usually a recipe for a loss. However, they dominated the points in the paint 44-28. They outscored UNC 47-29 in the second half. That is a statistical anomaly in a high-level game.
Actionable Takeaways for Following the Jayhawks
If you're looking to understand the current state of Kansas basketball or want to dive deeper into the legacy of the KU national championship 2022, here is how to stay ahead of the curve:
- Study the Bill Self "High-Low" Offense: To understand why David McCormack was successful, look at how KU uses their big men to create space for each other. It’s a dying art in the modern "positionless" game, but Self makes it work.
- Watch the 2022 Regional Final vs. Miami: Everyone remembers the UNC game, but the second half against Miami was almost an identical blueprint of the championship comeback. It's the moment the team realized they were invincible when they played fast.
- Follow Player Development Metrics: Keep an eye on the "three-year players" at Kansas. The 2022 team proved that experience beats raw talent in the tournament almost every single time.
- Visit Allen Fieldhouse: If you haven't been, go. The 2022 banner is hanging there now. Seeing the history in person explains why these players feel the pressure—and the pride—of the jersey.
The 2022 title wasn't just another trophy for the case. It was a statement of resilience. Coming back from 15 down when your shots aren't falling and your stars are struggling takes a specific kind of mental toughness that you can't coach overnight. It remains one of the most improbable, gritty, and technically sound halves of basketball ever played.