### Breaking News: “How They Got Here” Revisited โ UNC’s Epic 2022 Final Four Run Still Fuels Tar Heel Fire, Three Years On
**Chapel Hill, N.C. โ November 3, 2025** โ As the UNC Tar Heels tip off their 2025-26 season with five-star phenom Caleb Wilson drawing NBA whispers and a No. 12 AP ranking gleaming like a fresh-cut net, Chapelboro.com’s timeless 2022 feature “How They Got Here: UNC Basketball in the Final Four” resurfaces like a classic highlight reel. Penned amid the confetti-strewn chaos of Hubert Davis’ maiden Final Four voyage, the piece โ a gritty chronicle of an improbable odyssey from bubble woes to national championship heartbreak โ endures as a blueprint for resilience. In an era of one-and-dones and NIL frenzy, it reminds Tar Heel Nation: Greatness isn’t scripted; it’s forged in the fire of doubt, destiny, and Duke derbies.<grok:render card_id=”a681b5″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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Published March 29, 2022, just hours before the Caesars Superdome showdown, the article by Chapelboro’s ace scribe Jake Taylor dissected UNC’s seismic surge: an eighth-seeded Cinderella clawing past juggernauts to claim the program’s 21st Final Four berth โ a record-tying feat with UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas. “This isn’t luck; it’s legacy reloaded,” Taylor wrote, capturing the alchemy that transformed a 29-8 squad โ dismissed after an ACC semifinal flameout โ into March’s miracle workers. Three years later, with Davis’ Heels eyeing a top-8 seed amid a 4-0 start, the recap’s lessons echo: From Marquette’s upset artistry to Duke’s dramatic dethroning, it’s a roadmap for the current crew’s redemption quest.
The journey ignited in Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center, where No. 8 UNC squared off against No. 9 Marquette in a First Round frenzy on March 17. The Golden Eagles, paced by All-American Markus Howard’s 31-point barrage, threatened to bury the Tar Heels early, surging to a 36-25 halftime lead. But Chapelboro nailed the pivot: Caleb Love’s second-half supernova โ 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including four threes โ flipped the script. Love’s hesitation pull-up with 2:12 left iced a 95-63 rout, UNC’s largest tournament margin since 2009. “Caleb’s the spark we needed,” Taylor quoted Davis post-game, as Armando Bacot stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points and 10 boards. It was validation for a team haunted by last season’s title-game collapse, setting a tone of “no more what-ifs.”<grok:render card_id=”2a1145″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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Second Round? A rematch etched in Tar Heel torment. Defending champ Baylor โ the 2021 darlings fresh off a Sweet 16 evisceration of UNC โ loomed as avengers. The Bears, led by Gonzaga transfer Freshman of the Year Jeremy Sochan’s double-double, clawed to a 51-45 halftime edge, then extended it to 63-54 midway through the second. Enter Brady Manek’s midnight magic: The Oklahoma transfer, benched earlier for inefficiency, erupted for 22 points in the final 20 minutes, sinking five threes including a dagger at the buzzer to force OT. UNC’s D โ suffocating with 12 steals โ limited Baylor to 1-of-9 in extra time, sealing a 93-86 thriller despite Manek’s controversial ejection for a flagrant-2 on a loose ball scrum. “Redemption tastes sweet,” Chapelboro’s recap gushed, noting UNC’s 20th come-from-behind tourney win. Bacot’s 15 rebounds and Love’s 15 points bookended the chaos, thrusting the Heels into Philly’s Sweet 16 spotlight.<grok:render card_id=”fa69d5″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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There, against Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins โ 2021 Final Four foes avenging a tourney snub โ the Dean Dome faithful’s road-warrior spirit peaked. Wells Fargo Center pulsed with 20,000-plus in Carolina blue, turning the City of Brotherly Love into a satellite Smith Center. A 37-all halftime deadlock devolved into a 14-2 Bruiser burst, but Love โ again the oracle โ torched for 30 points, 21 in the second half on 8-of-11 shooting. His step-back three with 3:58 left capped a 73-66 victory, UNC’s first Sweet 16 win over a Power Five foe since 2017. “Caleb Love Show: Act III,” Taylor headlined, praising RJ Davis’ 14 bench points and Bacot’s 11 boards amid fouls. It was surgical: UNC’s 15 assists on 27 makes showcased Davis’ motion offense, a far cry from the isolation isolation of yore. Elite Eight beckoned, with a date against Saint Peter’s โ the MAAC minnows who’d toppled Kentucky and Purdue in the tournament’s ultimate underdog saga.<grok:render card_id=”8ad785″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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Sunday, March 27, in Philadelphia: Peacocks vs. Tar Heels, David vs. Goliath reloaded. Saint Peter’s, coached by Shaheen Holloway’s grit, stunned with a 21-13 first-half edge, bottling UNC’s stars in a zone that forced 10 turnovers. But the dam broke at intermission โ a 43-21 second-half avalanche, fueled by Leaky Black’s 12 points and Christian Keeling’s quiet 15 off the pine. Bacot? A monstrous 22 rebounds โ tying a tourney record โ with 11 points, while Love added 10. Final: 69-49, UNC’s most lopsided Elite Eight win ever. “We silenced the fairy tale,” Taylor quipped, as Davis became the first first-year Tar Heel coach to reach the Final Four since Bill Guthridge in 1998. Roy Williams, courtside in his trademark fedora, beamed โ his 2021 retirement a mere footnote in this heir’s triumph. Chapel Hill erupted at midnight: Hundreds mobbed RDU, nets and trophies aloft, chanting “Hubert! Hubert!”<grok:render card_id=”a418c2″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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New Orleans’ Superdome? Hoops Valhalla, but laced with Blue Devil brimstone. Semifinal vs. Duke โ first-ever tourney clash between the archrivals โ pitted Davis against mentor Mike Krzyzewski in Coach K’s swan song. A 34-32 halftime squeaker exploded into frenzy: UNC’s 50% second-half shooting (7-of-13 from deep) outgunned Duke’s stars, with Paolo Banchero’s 16 points no match for Bacot’s 21 points and 21 boards (tying another record) and Love’s 14. Final: 81-77, Tar Heels’ ninth win over ranked foes in ’21-22. “Rivalry rendered irrelevant,” Chapelboro proclaimed, as confetti fell and tears flowed โ Williams hugging Davis, a generational torch-pass. It vaulted UNC to their 12th title game, facing Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks.<grok:render card_id=”7b7a3b” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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Monday’s championship? Heartbreak’s cruel encore. A 33-31 halftime lead evaporated in Kansas’ 28-15 second-half surge, Ochai Agbaji’s 16 points and Remy Martin’s 12 sealing a 72-69 gut-punch. Love’s late three rimmed out; Bacot fouled out. “This one stings,” UNC tweeted, but Chapelboro’s coda rang true: 52 tourney appearances, 21 Final Fours โ records unbroken.<grok:render card_id=”9d749c” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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Fast-forward to 2025: Wilson’s 16.8 PPG evokes Love’s fire; Bacot’s NBA nod (with the Raptors) inspires. Davis, now 54, eyes his third straight 20-win season. “That run? It taught us belief,” he told reporters pre-No. 22 Michigan State. Chapelboro’s piece, with 500,000+ views archived, trends anew on X โ #HowTheyGotHere spiking amid UNC’s Maui magic. Fans meme Manek’s ejection; alums like Hansbrough podcast tributes. It’s more than history; it’s homework for the now.
In Chapel Hill’s eternal arena โ where Jordan’s Shot birthed dynasties and Williams’ five banners flew โ 2022’s saga stands sentinel. Not for the fall, but the flight. As Wilson drains pull-ups and the Pit pulses, one query lingers: How far will this class go? The answer? Wherever heart leads โ just like ’22.
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