By: Chris Czachor, student journalist
The Villanova Wildcats won their first national title in 31 years on Monday night when they defeated North Carolina Tar Heels in an instant classic that had the whole country buzzing. The game was close from start to finish, and the Wildcats came out on top with the score reading 77-74 when the final buzzer sounded.
Senior Marcus Paige led all scorers with 21 points for North Carolina, including a few important three-point shots in the second half. Unfortunately for him and his team, it was not enough to take down Villanova. The Wildcats got double digit point totals from four different players. Their bench players were able to produce 22 points, 20 of which were scored by Sophomore Phil Booth. The North Carolina bench was only able to come up with six points in the big game.
North Carolina entered the half leading 39-34, but momentum seemingly shifted towards the Villanova bench as Booth hit a shot at the buzzer to end the first half. The Wildcats took a 49-46 lead with just under thirteen minutes to play in the game, and were able to extend the lead to double digits with five and a half minutes remaining. North Carolina then put the ball in the hands of their senior leaders, Paige and Brice Johnson, and clawed their way back into the game. A Paige put-back layup cut the deficit to one point with 22 seconds to go. The Wildcats made two free-throws to extend the lead to three, which left the Tar Heels with a chance to take the final shot of regulation. Villanova Senior Daniel Ochefu almost intercepted a pass that would have sealed the deal for his team, but the ball tipped off his hands and into the hands of Paige. He took two steps in and sunk an off balanced, double clutch three-pointer to tie the game up at 74 with 4.7 seconds to play. Surely, many viewers assumed that the game was heading for overtime, but that was not the case. Villanova’s Senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono took the inbound pass from his own baseline and raced up the left sideline and cut towards the top of the key before pitching the ball back to the man of the hour, Junior Kris Jenkins. Jenkins caught the pass and rose up over the North Carolina defense from beyond the arc. The shot looked good as soon as it left Jenkins’ fingertips, and when it fell through the net, the Wildcats secured their second national championship
“One step, two step, shoot ‘em up, sleep in the streets,” said Jenkins, “I’ve been doubted my whole life. People always had ‘buts’ like, ‘Kris can do this, but…’ Now they can say I’m a national champion.”
This was the first national championship game that ended on a buzzer beater since 1983 when Lorenzo Charles’ dunk at the buzzer for North Carolina State. Fans instantly reacted, and some called this game the best basketball game that was ever played. Although that could be a bit of a stretch, it is sure to be an instant classic.