After starting to dribble upcourt at 9.3 seconds after a missed Xavier three throw, Conley handed it off to Lewis at just under six seconds, and he launched the 3-pointer at about 4.3 seconds.
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One game and one shot turned out to be the flawless snap shot of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Monday’s audience was the smallest for the final game since 2009, when 17.6 million people watched North Carolina beat Michigan State. That game is considered the best in college hoop history, which elevates Laettner’s shot to the top of the list.
In other news, Wright received a call Wednesday from President Obama congratulating Villanova on its victory.
You can listen to part of the exchange below courtesy of the White House. “So to quote the great Jimmy Valvano, ‘Don’t mess with happy'”.
Folks in the bookstore at Villanova dealing with the crush of students coming in got some assistance from northeastern Pennsylvania.
“It’s awesome”, Wright said. “You don’t have internships or apprenticeships in coaching where you learn the craft”. They gave them something to cheer for, something to be proud of despite the loss. “He did that for me”. The Britt family, who met Jenkins through basketball, adopted Jenkins in 2007 when Jenkins’ mother, Felicia, had a job offer coaching basketball in SC and thought her son would do better academically, and could continue playing basketball, with the Britts.
Locally, though, Jenkins was a legendary alum of Washington, D.C. power Gonzaga College High.
Assessing this North Carolina team’s place in history is a little tougher. And this was for a championship, not just a chance to advance.
“He’s one of the great examples to anybody in our program”, Wright said. At 6-foot-6, his ability to play in the paint and shoot from beyond the arc has proved to be invaluable for the Wildcats. “As bad as you want anything in your life, you don’t know how much our team wanted this game”. “It’s not about me taking the right shot”, Arcidiacono said. They defeated the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, 77-74, after a buzzer beating three from junior forward Kris Jenkins. But North Carolina fought back to tie it at 74-74 with 4.7 seconds to play.
The school estimated more than 3,000 fans came to the Smith Center to greet the team upon its return from the airport Tuesday afternoon. “When they all followed the ball, I just knew if I got in his line of vision, he would find me”. “I just have to rely on all the memories I have with my teammates”.
It was “One Shining Moment” earned by Villanova in a game that will forever be a classic.
This year’s NCAA men’s basketball national championship game will be remembered for ages, but the game delivered ratings that television executives may prefer to forget.
And while I still feel for my Tar Heels, I have to admit that they couldn’t have lost to a more deserving team.
College basketball was long overdue for a championship game hero, and now it has one in Kris Jenkins.
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“The difference in your feelings is so large”.
