We’re going to wrap this blog up now. Thanks so much for reading – we’ll have much more on the Guardian in the coming hours.
Updated
Here’s the first take of that thrilling finish:
Villanova now has their second national title all-time and first since 1985.
2016 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champions! #LetsMarchNova pic.twitter.com/p8XsMKRoEe
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) April 5, 2016
Both Villanova title games will be remembered forever. The huge upset over Patrick Ewing and Georgetown in ‘85 and now this one that closed with traded three-pointers. Let’s get Villanova in more title games.
Thanks for following the liveblog. Thanks to Villanova and UNC for the night of entertainment.
And here’s the game-winner. You’ll be seeing this forever and ever and ever every March. Deservedly so.
And Villanova wins on this incredible shot by Kris Jenkins https://t.co/fFyJaRjd3p
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) April 5, 2016
This was only the game-tying shot. The one that everyone has already forgotten.
Bonkers. pic.twitter.com/upCDc8IO3B
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) April 5, 2016
GAME OVER! VILLANOVA'S KRIS JENKINS HITS A DEEP THREE AT THE BUZZER!
Wow wow wow wow. I’m supposedly a professional writer and that’s what I’ve got. Villanova is your 2016 champion. Easily the best last 10 seconds in NCAA Tournament history.
UNC 74-74 Villanova, 4.7 seconds left in the 2nd half
Holy crap! Paige hits a wild, off-balance three with just a few seconds left to tie it up. Clip coming as soon as I can find it ...
Updated
Villanova 74-71 UNC, 13.5 seconds left in the 2nd half
Tar Heels foul Josh Hart to stop the clock and he hits both.
Villanova 70-69 UNC, 1:00 left in the 2nd half
After Paige’s three, UNC went to a half-court trap and Arcidiacono made a horrid turnover, sailing the ball over everyone on a pass out of bounds. Then UNC got a quick two points and ... here we are. One-point game with exactly one-minute to play in the national title game. Acceptable.
Villanova 70-67 UNC, 1:35 left in the 2nd half
Tar Heels get within a single score on a deep three by Marcus Paige. Roy Williams follows with a timeout. Carolina is now 62.5% (10-for-16) on the night from three.
Villanova 69-64 UNC, 1:52 left in the 2nd half
After the media timeout, Justin Jackson missed two free throws and then Kris Jenkins of Villanova missed the front end of a 1-and-1. This is the part when old-timers mourn the state of modern free throw shooting.
Updated
We just had the final media timeout of the second half. Bad news if you really love advertising. Just basketball from here on out, capitalists.
Villanova 69-64 UNC, 2:44 left in the 2nd half
Phil Booth answers right back for Villanova and now has 18 points, a career high. This is the Phil Booth-Joel Berry showdown everyone expected???
Villanova 67-64 UNC, 3:27 left in the 2nd half
Berry is back! He hits a three and we’ve got a great ending in store! (I think.)
Villanova 67-61 UNC, 4:11 left in the 2nd half
Brice Johnson grabs an Ochefu block and gets the Tar Heels to just six points back. Roy Williams has called a timeout. This is where he earns the big bucks. Well, this and recruiting McDonald’s All-Americas every year to fill his roster.
Villanova 67-59 UNC, 4:42 left in the 2nd half
UNC, now in the double bonus, gets two free throws from Berry, his first points of the second half. Villanova is milking the clock.
Villanova 67-57 UNC, 5:21 left in the 2nd half
Joel Berry STILL scoreless in the second half, UNC is rolling the ball in now and Villanova gets free throws on every foul. I think I might pick Villanova in my bracket.
Villanova 65-57 UNC, 6:00 left in the 2nd half
Arcidiacono drained a three and then hit two free throws on a 1-and-1. He disappeared in the middle of the game, but he’s starting and finishing quite well.
Villanova 60-57 North Carolina, 6:50 left in the 2nd half
Villanova has now outscored UNC 30-20 in the paint. This is your latest update reminder that experts and pundits don’t really know anything.
Carolina continues to deliver depressing information to their fans. Their social media person has no future in propaganda.
Nova has outscored UNC, 26-16 this half and is shooting 58% this half to UNC’s 33%. #UNCBBall #HeelsLockIn
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) April 5, 2016
Villanova 60-55 UNC, 7:07 left in the 2nd half
Back and forth they go. This isn’t a good night for anyone who said college basketball can’t still be pretty.
UNC’s Berry still hasn’t scored in the second half.
Villanova 53-46 Villanova, 9:40 left in the 2nd half
Arcidiacono gets his first points since 4 minutes into the game on a jumper and Villanova has their biggest lead of the game.
Villanova 51-46 UNC, 10:30 left in the 2nd half
Maybe Arcidiacono doesn’t need to score:
That pass...https://t.co/0KQJN3nGk5
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 5, 2016
Tough when you’re getting chastised by your own official Twitter account:
UNC is shooting 3 for 9 this half. #UNCBBall #HeelsLockIn
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) April 5, 2016
Villanova 49-46 UNC, 12:00 left in the 2nd half
Phil Booth gives Villanova the lead with his second 3-pointer of the night. He now leads the Wildcats with 12 points.
UNC 44-44 Villanova, 13:46 left in the 2nd half
Villanova is on a 10-3 run. Joel Berry has yet to score in the 2nd half. He’s disappeared Ryan Arcidiacono-style.
Updated
UNC 44-42 Villanova, 14:57 left in the 2nd half
People are upset with the officiating.
The refs are terrible probably the worst in basketball history. https://t.co/zj7chKkqWT
— Todd Gurley II (@TG3II) April 5, 2016
It's been a joke both ways the whole game. https://t.co/sRQRu65Ul7
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) April 5, 2016
So, like every televised game in sports history.
UNC 43-40 Villanova, 15:43 left in 2nd half
Jay Wright just pulled Jalen Brunson for not diving for a loose ball.
As expected: Three UNC possessions, three Brice Johnson touches.
— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) April 5, 2016
Roy Williams is running his offense through his best player. Perhaps it’s not a surprise that he makes it to Final Fours quite frequently.
UNC 41-37 Villanova, 19:05 left in the second half
Brice Johnson hit for Carolina to give them their biggest lead at seven, but Villanova came right back with a big three.
Second half is underway!
North Carolina opens with the ball and a five-point lead.
Jay Wright said at the half that his team was “out of whack defensively” on its rotations. Which is true if he says so. But there’s also no way Villanova expected UNC to shoot like this from three.
Tell me why the players can't receive a small percentage again @NCAA ???? Attendance is ridiculous #Finalfour pic.twitter.com/vpU3nUqSPp
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) April 2, 2016
Hey, shouldn’t you all be studying?
Shout out from Houston to the #novanation crowd watching at the Pavilion! #LetsMarchNova pic.twitter.com/kOMnuNjJWm
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) April 5, 2016
There are always those who fret that shooting will be affected in basketball games played in football stadiums because the vast expanses impact depth perception. That doesn’t seem to be a problem tonight, does it?
Important stats at the half ...
- both teams shot well: above 50% from the floor
- UNC dominated the boards, 15-9
- UNC hit an absurd 7-of-9 from three
Carolina knocking them down from deep is the big surprise of the game so far. Villanova has to be happy to be within 5 with the Tar Heels shooting so well from three. The UNC backcourt took over the game late, while Villanova’s Arcidiacono - after starting fast - is still stuck on 7 points.
I still don’t have a good feel for who will cut down the nets. Same as two weeks ago.
End of the 1st half: UNC 39-34 Villanova
Carolina had a chance to take a 7-point lead into the locker room, but Nova blocked a UNC transition lay-up attempt and then got the ball quickly down the court to Phil Booth for a last-second jumper.
Updated
UNC 34-30 Villanova, 1:52 left in the 1st half
Joel Berry scores again on a drive to the basket and Villanova calls timeout. Berry hasn’t scored more than 15 points in a game in the Tournament so far. He has 15 tonight now and the first half isn’t over.
UNC 30-29 Villanova, 3:21 left in the first half
Another three-pointer by Joel Berry. He’s now 3-for-3 on the night and has 11 points. He was 36.8% from three on the season before he traded bodies with Steph Curry tonight.
Villanova 29-27 UNC, 4:08 left in the first half
The Wildcats retake the lead on a 6-0 run. North Carolina has been called for the last seven fouls in the game. Tar Heels fans, prepare your conspiracy theories!
UNC 27-23 Villanova, 5:29 left in the first half
Nice drive to the basket by Joel Berry. He now leads all scorers with 8 points.
Another TV timeout. Let’s update the important stats ...
Villanova is shooting 55% from the floor to UNC’s 45%, but Carolina is hitting 71% from three. UNC dominating the boards so far, as expected and as Villanova feared, 12-7.
UNC 25-23 Villanova, 6:46 left in the first half
Another three goes down by Joel Berry. They’re now 5-of-7. Jim Nantz just noted this is (was?) the worst three-point shooting team in Carolina history. Maybe they were just sandbagging?
Updated
UNC 22-21 Villanova, 7:50 left in the first half
The Wildcats got their lead back to five, then Kennedy Meeks hit a jumper and Justin Jackson knocked down a three and Marcus Paige knocked down another. The Tar Heels are now 4-of-6 from three.
Michael Jordan is sitting amongst UNC royalty, including ... former Oregon receiver Ahmad Rashad?
Tar Heel great Michael Jordan is taking in the National Championship. pic.twitter.com/Gh8mqlyUNl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2016
Villanova 17-14 UNC, 11:00 left in the 1st half
After a timeout, Nova and UNC trade quick buckets. This game is already better than all the best moments from Saturday’s games combined.
The Guardian’s own Hunter Felt weighs in on “One Shining Moment.”
@DJGalloEtc "One Shining Moment" is just the worst. And even if it wasn't, this is the best basketball related song: https://t.co/sQTttQ2d8k
— Hunter Felt (@HunterFelt) April 5, 2016
I have to agree. Especially because it means I can disagree with Mike Krzyzewski.
Villanova 14-12 UNC, 12:11 left in the 1st half
The Wildcats went up five on a three by Josh Hart, giving UNC their biggest deficit of the tournament, but Carolina just came back with a alley-oop dunk (and-1) to Brice Johnson.
Villanova 11-9 UNC, 13:28 left in the first half
The Wildcats respond with buckets from Arcidiacono and a hook shot from their big man, 6-11 Daniel Ochefu. Arcidiacono now has 7 points.
Updated
UNC 9-7 Villanova, 15:23 left in the first half
Isaiah Hicks just made a put-pack on a missed Marcus Paige jumper. Rebounds! And Villanova’s Kris Jenkins is now on the bench with two early fouls.
There’s a stoppage in play with the score tied at 7 and 15:42 left in the half.
Some early stats to keep an eye on:
- Villanova shot 71% from the floor on Saturday. So far they’re 42.9% tonight.
- UNC has a 5-3 advantage so far on the boards.
UNC 7-7 Villanova, 15:45 left in the first half
Villanova’s switching defense is giving UNC some problems, while Ryan Arcidiacono has five of his team’s seven points so far. Let’s get that guy a short nickname so I can type it easier the rest of the game.
UNC 3-0 Villanova, 18:32 left in the 1st half
Joel Berry hit a three-pointer to open scoring for the game. Both teams looks a little nervous so far, almost as though they’re playing the biggest game of their lives.
We have tip-off!
Villanova has opened 0-for-2. Oklahoma has to be wondering where this was two nights ago.
The player introductions are over. Seems like everyone made it to the arena from their Monday classes in time.
Tip-off is next!
Well, assuming North Carolina athletes actually took classes in the 1980s ...
Every class Michael Jordan took at UNC, included acting & Portuguese pic.twitter.com/di0euvPIDy
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 5, 2016
Updated
Man, in 2011-2012 Villanova was 13-19, 5-13 in the BE. 4 years later they're playing in the championship game.
— JD Schroeder (@Sta7ic) April 5, 2016
Jay Wright was also only 21-27 through his first three years in the Big East at Villanova. He unplugged his hot seat and stuck it in the trash.
Tonight’s game will be played in front of more than 70,000 people. Villanova’s home gym, The Pavilion, seats 6,500. But they’re clearly not intimidated based on the fact that they humiliated Oklahoma two nights ago in front of 70,000. The Sooners probably wish there were only 6,500 people watching that game.
Updated
Mike Krzyzewski said “One Shining Moment” is the greatest sports song in the world. Is he right?
One Shining Moment is a good song, but it’s not the best sports song ever. https://t.co/rnFuwlXKLU
— Dan Levy (@DanLevyThinks) April 5, 2016
On the North Carolina side, famed failure meme Michael Jordan is in the building, wearing a free shirt he got at work.
His Airness has arrived at the title game. pic.twitter.com/eujw3O9X4Z
— Luke Winn (@lukewinn) April 5, 2016
Legendary Villanova coach Rollie Massimino has arrived at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Rollie is in da house!! #NovaNation pic.twitter.com/bGYd8nWoLU
— Brian Finneran (@BFinn86) April 5, 2016
Again, this is Philly sports legend Rollie Massimino, not Philly sports legend Paulie from the “Rocky” movies.
Welcome to the liveblog for the 2016 NCAA Tournament men’s championship game!
After two blowouts on Saturday in the semis, we should have a better game tonight. Villanova is unlikely to shoot 71% from the floor again and, even if they do, North Carolina has the most efficient offense in the country and can score with anyone. While the Wildcats are playing as well as anyone right now, they’ll struggle to match UNC’s size inside.
The result should be a close game and I have no idea who will win. (But then I’ve proven I don’t know who will win at the start of the Tournament when I picked Michigan State to cut down the nets. Whoops.)
DJ will be here shortly. In the meantime, look back to see who our writers predicted to win the tournament, and why no one had Villanova as a national champion:
