One of the greatest endings of an NCAA championship game, and possibly the greatest, was the 2016 Villanova-UNC epic, which played out in Houston’s NRG Stadium.
It was a tremendous game, but what people remember best are the final two plays.
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After Villanova’s Josh Hart put the Wildcats up 74-71 at the free throw line, UNC’s Marcus Paige came down and hit one of the most amazing shots in the history of the Final Four. That shot was absolutely ridiculous, but when you watch the replay, it’s very clear that it wasn’t nearly as awkward as it looked. Actually, it was a moment of sheer athletic brilliance, and it tied the game 74-74.
But barring catastrophe, ‘Nova wasn’t going to lose in regulation, and they got the ball back with 4.7 left on the clock. Villanova coach Jay Wright called a timeout and set up a play that would immediately overshadow what Paige had just done.
Kris Jenkins tossed the ball in to Ryan Arcidiacono who, in a manner the late John Wooden would have appreciated, went quickly, but without hurrying. And while Paige was all over Arcidiacono, no one from UNC paid attention to Jenkins, who came up court a little slower.
However, when Arcidiacono got just past the logo, he flipped the ball back to Jenkins. Paige and teammate Isaiah Hicks were both watching the ball, and bumped into each other. It was just enough contact to slow Hicks down enough to where he couldn’t quite get to Jenkins, who shot from well outside the three-point line, with the ball dropping through the net with no time left on the clock.
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Although Villanova couldn’t have lost on that play, the audacity of that play was simply stunning.
After he hit it, Jenkins simply put his arms up as his teammates mobbed him.
Of those Wildcats, Hart, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges just helped the New York Knicks win their first title in 53 year, and Donte DiVincenzo is still in the league.
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