National Champions

Amir Hester, Staff Reporter

As the NCAA men’s basketball games came to an end on Monday April 4, it ended in the best way possible. The national championship game which took place in Houston, Texas was between the 2 seed Villanova and the 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels. This game was well anticipated, after Villanova knocked off the Buddy Hield led Oklahoma Sooners (2 seed).

According to NCAA.com, “Villanova capped a spectacular season” with an upset victory over North Carolina in a thrilling national championship game. This victory came on a once in a lifetime shot by Villanova forward Kris Jenkins, who in the last second hit a game winning 3 to end it all. His teammates celebrated as they won the national championship game for the first time since 1985, ending a 31 year drought.

The North Carolina Tar Heels also played a good game, knocking down a good amount of 3 pointers – more than normal. A 3-pointer that will always be remembered is Marcus Paige double clutch 3 to tie the game, leaving 4.7 seconds left on the game clock. This shot made many feel that the game would have went into overtime. Steven Jacobs, a senior at MBHS says, “if the game went into overtime UNC (Tar Heels) would have won the game.” Marcus Paige ended his last game with the Tar Heels with 21 points.

This was a very emotional loss for UNC especially for Nate Britt ll (guard for UNC), who watched his brother hit the game winning shot against his team. The final score of the game, 77-74. Villanova winning by 3 points.