NCAA Tournament: Villanova wins the National Title over UNC in instant classic

That’s what you call an instant NCAA Tournament classic!

It doesn’t get any better than that.

An instant classic. A nail biter. One for the ages. One of the more dramatic finishes you will ever see.

And now the Villanova Wildcats are 2016 National Champions (their first title since 1985) thanks to Kris Jenkins‘ epic buzzer beater to beat North Carolina, 77-74, in Houston on Monday night.

Jenkins put up 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and battled all night on the interior against North Carolina’s physical big man, but no play was bigger than his long three that capped a dramatic season for the Wildcats.

This team wasn’t supposed to be here. They were the team that always fell short in March. A team that never made the second weekend, were apart of a “top heavy” Big East and a squad that had no “superstars” or NBA prospects.

Well now they sure do have their fair of stars as four players, including Jenkins, shined bright on the biggest stage in all of college hoops.

Ryan Arcidiacono, who won MVP of the National Title Game, scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and dished out two assists, including the clutch pass to Jenkins on the final shot of the night. He also consistently made big plays, his leadership was evident and his tenacity on the defensive end of the floor was incredible.

Then there’s Josh Hart. Last season, Hart was an after thought. But after a monster Big East Tournament where he won MVP, the versatile forward took off and was often looked at as the best player in the conference this past season. The junior put up 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the title game and made his share of hustle plays.

Finally, there’s Phil Booth, who came out of absolutely no where to score a team high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Booth was playing with confidence as he attacked the lane and made tough shots from the perimeter.

On the Tar Heels side, Marcus Paige hit an unthinkable double clutch three pointer before Jenkins’ shot. The senior guard finished with 21 points and was instrumental in the Tar Heels 10 point comeback over the course of the final five minutes. Brice Johnson had 14 points and eight boards but was often forgotten about on the offensive end of the floor, while Joel Berry II played an excellent game, scoring 20 points.

In the end though, it was all about the Wildcats. Jay Wright’s squad had a perfect game plan and they executed it to perfection in one of the greatest National Championship’s you will see in your life time.

It’s officially a bittersweet ending to what was an outstanding college basketball season.

Villanova’s toughness in the paint

North Carolina had one clear advantage in the National Title game and that was their ability to pound the ball in the interior. That didn’t exactly happen as the Wildcats out-scored the Tar Heels in the paint, 32-26.

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It was all about the Wildcats toughness, strength and ability to gang rebound. Wright’s unit doesn’t exactly have the explosiveness and power of Johnson, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, but they battled, fronted the post and double-teamed on occasion. They weren’t afraid to switch smaller guys onto the Tar Heels’ big men and the effort from Hart on the glass was spectacular.

While the Wildcats did get out-rebounded by 13, it sure didn’t seem that way as the Tar Heels were forced into tough shots due to Villanova’s discipline.

The team from the Big East has been riding their defense all year long.

Controlling pace

Besides rebounding and points in the paint, North Carolina’s best attribute is their quickness and ability to score in transition. With Paige, Berry, Johnson, Meeks, Hicks, Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson, the Tar Heels have athleticism and they want to force you into a track meet.

But the Wildcats didn’t bite. At every opportunity, they slowed the game down, walked the ball up the court and ran their offensive sets. Jalen Brunson deserves a lot of credit, along with Arcidiacono, for keeping the Tar Heels from scoring A SINGLE POINT in transition.

That was the game changer. North Carolina never got easy buckets and in turn, the Wildcats were able to play their style of basketball.

UNC from downtown

The Tar Heels shot 7-of-9 from beyond the three point line in the first half, yet Villanova trailed by just five.

In the second frame, UNC hit just four threes and the Wildcats were able to stretch the lead all the way to 10 points.

Don’t underestimate the power of the three ball.

Uh oh

The question about North Carolina coming into the tournament was about their mental toughness. How would they handle the big moment on the big stage? Would they be able to defend ball screens? Can they match-up with another disciplined team?

Even though the defense was never an issue, they showed made critical mental mistakes in the second half.

UNC turned the ball over four times in the first eight minutes after giving away the basketball just six times in the first half. They also made countless other mistakes, including dropped passes, easy missed layups and some flat out poor decisions.

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Villanova was the more discipline team for the majority of the second half and it showed.

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