The North Carolina Tar Heels avenged their loss in last year’s National Championship Game, beating Gonzaga in an instant classic, 71-65.
What an incredible 40 minutes it was for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and North Carolina Tar Heels, who battled until the last second in the 2017 NCAA National Championship Game. While the first half was a bit pedestrian, the second half was a thing of beauty, as both teams went on significant runs early on. As the two teams entered the final minute, the Tar Heels were up one point, 66-65, setting the stage for an incredible finish on Monday night.
Isaiah Hicks stepped up big time for the Tar Heels in the second half, and it was his two-point shot with 30 seconds left that put Carolina up by three. The Zags tried to fight back to tie the game, but Kennedy Meeks once again came up with a huge play to clinch the game. Meeks’ block set up an outlet pass from Joel Berry II to Justin Jackson, who threw down the dunk to give the Tar Heels an insurmountable 70-65 lead.
We had said in our preview that the X-factor of the game would be Joel Berry II, who looked lost in the team’s win over Oregon in the Final Four. Berry turned his ankle early in the tournament, and he didn’t get to practice the week leading up to the Oregon game. While he battled through a rough time against the Ducks, he came to play against Gonzaga, willing his team to the victory. For his efforts, Berry was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Here is how Twitter reacted to North Carolina winning their sixth national title.
Congrats @UNC_Basketball on another great season. And another title.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) April 4, 2017
Moments like these makes me think of @StuartScott #Booyah
https://twitter.com/UNCRecruits/status/849105410233700352
@frears_sarah not only did UNC win but the warriors blew a 3-1 Lead in the finals pic.twitter.com/HGSwI9MdFt
— Leny Frears (@LMFtres) April 4, 2017
MOOD RIGHT NOW. #UNC pic.twitter.com/2DMDL4UCmK
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) April 4, 2017
Hearts are BROKEN in Gonzaga as UNC has DELETED them from the NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/F8kqeoGVqR
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/MyRecruitBoard/status/849104597578915840
If UNC's championship shirts don't say "The Ceiling is the Roof" then they deserve to be stripped of their title immediately.
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) April 4, 2017
Mood: UNC pic.twitter.com/HnB2SshshF
— Champs Sports (@champssports) April 4, 2017
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO @UNC_Basketball #GDTBATH #TarHeelNation
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) April 4, 2017
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It was an incredible NCAA Tournament, with the finale living up to the expectations of a title game. Both teams came into the tournament as No. 1 seeds, and while they had to claw to get to the championship game, they were the two most deserving teams. Win or lose, these kids have to be proud of what they accomplished this season, and for North Carolina, how sweet it is to avenge last year’s title game loss.
Congratulations to head coach Roy Williams and the rest of the North Carolina Tar Heels.