In one of the wildest games in March Madness history, the Villanova Wildcats beat the Carolina Tar Heels on Monday night to win the 2016 NCAA Championship. With 0.4 seconds left in the game, Villanova forward Kris Jenkins hit a three-pointer to beat Carolina 77-74 and win the school’s second national championship title in history.
The unbelievable shot by Jenkins was the culmination of a game that was dramatic from beginning to end. The lead switched back and forth between the two teams in the first half but Carolina closed it out with a 39-34 lead. In the second half, Villanova came back early to retake the lead, with the Tar Heels trailing by as many as 10 at one point. In the last five minutes, UNC managed to cut the lead down with a jumper and a layup from forward Brice Johnson, a 3-pointer and pair of free throws from guard Joel Berry II, and a layup and 3-point jumper from guard Marcus Paige. With 4.6 seconds left to go, Paige came up big again and hit a double-pump three pointer to tie up the game 74-74, almost sending the game into overtime. But with time quickly expiring, Villanova point guard Ryan Arcidiacono got the ball in his hands and went straight down the court before passing it to Jenkins, who hit the game-winning shot and stunned the Tar Heels.
Villanova’s win marks the first time they’ve won the NCAA Tournament Championship since 1985.
Congrats to the Wildcats!
