(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
HOUSTON — All that talk of this being the worst Final Four in history sure looks silly now.
Two dull, one-sided national semifinals paved the way for the most riveting national championship game in recent memory.
With time melting away in a tie game, Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono sprinted up floor, drew two defenders and dished to teammate Kris Jenkins running alongside him. Jenkins pulled up from the right wing and buried a tie-breaking 3-pointer at the buzzer over the outstretched arms of North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks, giving the Wildcats a 77-74 victory and their second national title.
Jenkins’ shot dwarfed another dramatic 3-pointer that only seconds earlier appeared as though it was going to go down in NCAA tournament lore. Marcus Paige’s off-balance, leaning 3-pointer with six seconds left capped a 17-7 North Carolina surge, tied the score at 74 and set off a celebration among Tar Heels fans certain the title game was headed to overtime.
There was no overtime because Hicks inexplicably gave too much space to Jenkins, a lethal shooter who hit 17 of 33 attempts from behind the arc during the NCAA tournament. His final one forever secured his place in Villanova lore and will be replayed every March for decades and decades.
“We’re going to enjoy this one,” Jenkins said.
“Ryan Arcidiacono, he’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with. For a senior to get the ball and make the right play and not try to shoot the ball in double coverage just shows a lot about him. He’s just all about winning.”
The wild finish gave Villanova its first national title since 1985 when Rollie Massimino coaxed a No. 8 seed to a stunning upset over a star-studded Georgetown team. This one will be just as memorable considering the many momentum changes that preceded Jenkins’ moment of glory.
Though North Carolina led by five at halftime, it was an advantage that came with many warning signs. A typically cold-shooting Tar Heels team ranked 294th in 3-point shooting knocked down 7 of 9 attempts from behind the arc yet could not generate any separation.
Once the Tar Heels cooled off just a bit from the perimeter, Villanova made its move. The Wildcats unleashed a 33-16 second-half surge to erase a seven-point deficit and build a 10-point lead with just over five minutes to go.
The most remarkable part of Villanova’s title run is that it’s come without surefire NBA talent. Whereas the previous 28 national champions have each had at least one future first-round pick on their roster and often as many as four or five, NBA scouts are skeptical any of this year’s Wildcats will ever be worthy of being selected in the opening round.
What Villanova lacks in raw talent it makes up for in chemistry, work ethic and motivation. The roots of this year’s title run can be traced back to the Wildcats’ past March failures.
Motivated to shed its reputation for early NCAA tournament exits after back-to-back second-round losses the past two years, Villanova entered this season with something to prove. They’ve evolved from a good team to one of the nation’s best as Brunson and Bridges grew more comfortable at the college level and Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds adjusted to increased responsibility.
They’ve embraced the importance of moving the ball unselfishly and displaying smarter shot selection. They’ve learned to defend with more cohesiveness and communication in their aggressive, switching man-to-man scheme. They’ve also benefited from Daniel Ochefu returning from injury and blossoming into an interior scoring threat who’s also able to pass out of double teams.
The product of Villanova’s season-long progression was a formidable yet undervalued team capable of gaining the March validation it craved. The Wildcats defeated their first five NCAA tournament opponents by an average of 24.2 points, a run highlighted by their 44-point beatdown of Oklahoma in Saturday’s national semifinals.
Monday night’s win was more dramatic than all the rest but it was also the sweetest.
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