NFL
By: Colton Wood
NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, played host to an event that will contain memories for a lifetime. These memories however, are not linked to the Texans, but the Villanova Wildcats men’s basketball team.
No. 2 seeded Villanova took on Roy Williams and the No. 1 seeded UNC Tar Heels in the national championship game in Houston. It was a tight game until the end. Each team had their share of a run for the lead, but it never held as the opposing team always stormed back into the game.
The Tar Heels went into halftime with a five point lead, but it didn’t take the Wildcats long to regain the lead. Once they took the lead, it seemed as if they were never going to look back.
Up by ten at one point, fans across the country had the crying Michael Jordan memes ready for a Tar Heel defeat, but the Tar Heels didn’t give up and ended up tying the game with a highly contested three-pointer from Marcus Paige to tie the game with just over four seconds left. Paige ended the game with a team-high 21 points.
The Wildcats had a chance. They were in a perfect situation to run down the court and throw up a desperation shot to win the game. They saw that opportunity and they seized it.
The ball was inbounded and Ryan Arcidiacono (6-9 FG 16 PTS) ran down the court for his shot at history. It was the Wildcats’ Kris Jenkins who ran behind Arcidiacono and got open for a buzzer-beater to lift Villanova over UNC.
The ball got in Jenkins’ hands and he threw it up. The clock hit zero in the air and the ball dropped in. The rest was history. Villanova had just won their second national championship 77-74 on a thrilling buzzer-beater from Kris Jenkins.
March Madness can be a great tournament, but also an institute of sadness. With every win, there is a loss. With every smile, there is heartbreak and there was plenty of that last night.
(Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
