OTD: David McCormack delivered when Kansas needed him most in historic 2022 title comeback

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OTD: David McCormack delivered when Kansas needed him most in historic 2022 title comeback originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Four years later, it still doesn’t feel real how quickly everything flipped for the Kansas Jayhawks on the biggest stage.

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On April 4, 2022, Kansas didn’t just beat the North Carolina Tar Heels to win a national championship. They came back from a 15-point halftime deficit, the largest comeback in title game history, to win 72-69 in a game that still feels like it changed direction in an instant. For a while, it looked like Kansas wasn’t going to have a chance to write any kind of ending at all.

It looked over before it ever really started

The first half told a completely different story. North Carolina controlled everything, building a 40-25 lead and forcing Kansas into uncomfortable spots on both ends of the floor. Shots weren’t falling, rhythm never came, and even David McCormack was limited early with foul trouble. It felt like Kansas was just trying to survive, not compete.

Then the second half started, and something shifted. Kansas came out with a different level of urgency, and slowly, the game started to turn. A basket here, a stop there, and the gap began to shrink. What had been a 15-point hole became single digits, then just a few possessions. You could feel it building, that moment where the game stops belonging to one team and starts opening up for the other.

When the moment got big, McCormack got bigger

By the time the final minutes arrived, it wasn’t about the comeback anymore. It was about who was going to make the play. That’s where McCormack stepped in.

He didn’t force anything. He didn’t rush. He just delivered when Kansas needed him most. With just over a minute left, he scored to give Kansas a 70-69 lead, their first real control of the game since early on. Then he followed it with another bucket to push the lead to three. Those were the final points Kansas needed, and they came from the player who had been fighting to find his rhythm all night.

He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but the numbers don’t really explain it. It was the timing of those points, the calm in those moments, that defined everything.

More: On this day in 1988, Kansas pulled off one of March Madness’ most shocking titles

The kind of finish March Madness lives for

There was still tension at the end. North Carolina had chances, but couldn’t finish. A few missed shots, one last desperation attempt, and suddenly it was over. Kansas had done it. From down 15 at halftime to national champions.

That’s what makes this game stick years later. It wasn’t clean or dominant. It was messy, emotional, and unpredictable. One half looked like a blowout. The other looked like belief was taking over.

And in the middle of it all was McCormack, delivering the kind of moment that turns a comeback into history. Four years later, it still feels like one of those games you don’t fully believe happened, even though you watched it unfold.

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