Villanova wins 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Title

The Villanova Wildcats downed UNC 77-74 in the finals and captured their second NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament title thanks to a nail-biting three-point shot at the buzzer. It has been a while since Villanova has stood at the very top of the podium. The last time they hoisted gold over their heads was back in 1985.

With the game tied at 74-all, Wildcats coach Jay Wright called for a timeout and called out the play his team was to execute. It was something that they have practiced many times in the past and knew pretty much by heart. Kris Jenkins inbounded the ball to Ryan Arcidiacono to bring down the ball. Just as he neared the top of the three-point arc, Arcidiacono turned and gave the trailing Jenkins an underhand pass.

“If I could get a shot, I was going to shoot it,” said Arcidiacono, “But I heard someone screaming in the back of my head. It was Kris. I just gave it to him and he let it go with confidence.”

With two Tar Heels running at him, Jenkins pulled up and and knocked down the clutch three for the win. Seconds later, he was swarmed by elated teammates and tackled to the floor in celebration. Jenkins was 1-of-3 from downtown, but with ice in his veins he knew, he just knew, that this shot was going to go in. And it did. He ended up finishing the night with 14 points. Phil Booth led Villanova with 16 points off the bench on some pretty efficient shooting.

Marcus Paige paced UNC with a game-high 21 points. Unfortunately, his heroics were outmatched by Jenkins’ final shot at the buzzer.