It simply doesn’t get better than this. Already dubbed, and arguably the greatest title game in college hoops, if not all sports ever. Kris Jenkins. At. The. Buzzer.
“I think every shot is going in.”
An iconic quote from Jenkins, whose coach, Jay Wright, knew it was the game as well. Although poise, Coach Wright was seen mouthing “Bang” when Jenkins released his shot.
Villanova ran a play they always practice, but never thought it would work in-game. Normally, after getting a pick, Arcidiacono will take the shot himself. However, he passed underhanded to the trailer Jenkins.
After being thrown to the floor by his teammates, Jenkins got up, leaped over press row, hugged his birth mom–a college basketball coach who helped him hone his shot,and shouted, “They said we couldn’t, they said we couldn’t, they said we couldn’t.”
Even after Marcus Paige nailed a ridiculous circus 3, the Tarheels expected the game to head into OT. North Carolina felt the pain and agony after letting up on defense.
Albeit this being the “best title game ever,” there was criticism, notably from Mike Greenberg, that the location for this year’s Final Four and title game lacked excitement and hype. Greenberg pleaded his case that basketball should not be played in a football stadium. “There were people having normal conversations, and the student section was too far to get anyone else into the game.”
‘Nova fans didn’t care about the location. They only paid attention to the fact that their school had just won their first national championship in 31 years. This championship was so important that all classes were cancelled the following day.
This championship emphasized to the country that you don’t need a roster full of NBA prospects and one-and-dones to win a title. The Wildcats were full of gritty and scrappy team players who all had one focus: win.