Meeks, the only Tar Heel who could shoot straight Saturday night, grabbed the game-saving offensive rebound in a 77-76 victory over OR after ice cold Carolina missed its fourth straight free throw down the stretch.
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North Carolina’s size ended up being the factor in outlasting OR on Saturday night when two late missed free throws were corralled by the Tar Heels.
North Carolina forward Justin Jackson poured in 22 points, including four 3-pointers. A few always slay a giant or two on their way to being swept aside by the North Carolinas of the Tournament (usually). But it was his efforts on the glass where he made the biggest impact.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – His shots aren’t falling in the NCAA Tournament, neither from the paint nor from the foul line. He is a slasher who has improved as a 3-point shooter (38.2 percent this season). With a 77-76 win over OR in Saturday’s Final Four matchup, UNC secured a spot in the title game for the 11th time in school history. It will be the second straight appearance of the Tar Heels on the final night of college basketball.
Then Berry missed his two free throws. In a rare show of futility, first Meeks then North Carolina star guard Joel Berry II missed all four of the attempted free throws in the final seconds of the game. He was one of the main reasons that Gonzaga regrouped after blowing a 14-point second half lead to beat SC 77-73. North Carolina came back from there, taking a 39-36 halftime lead. He starts two seniors and three juniors.
During the draft evaluation process Jackson was told that the modern National Basketball Association, obsessed with floor spacing, did not have a place for a small forward who couldn’t shoot 3-pointers. In addition to the missed opportunities at the end, OR was hurt by 16 turnovers. But Meeks got inside of Bell for that final rebound, threw it outside to Pinson, who dribbled out the clock to end this ugly affair. The Tar Heels rank third in Pomeroy’s ratings and 16th in defensive efficiency, but they own a slight edge over the Bulldogs in offensive efficiency (seventh vs. 12th, respectively). OR also shot poorly from distance (7-of-26) and stayed in the game at the foul line (25-of-28) with Dorsey making all 12 of his attempts. Boxing out at the end of the game. And as for Gonzaga Mark Few this is his First time playing for the Biggest Prize in College Basketball.
Still, Oregon almost pulled off the upset win.
How they got here: The top seeds of the West (Gonzaga) and South (North Carolina) regions both had close calls in advancing to the championship, with the Zags being pushed most by West Virginia in the Sweet 16 (61-58 final) and the Tar Heels escaping Kentucky (75-73) in the Elite Eight.
Karnowski scored 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting in the Zags’ 77-73 Final Four win against SC, while Collins had a breakout game with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. He finished with 11 points, but made just 2 of 14 shots and went just 5 of 9 at the foul line, including two misses with 4 seconds left that very almost gave OR a shot to win. The Bulldogs allow teams to shoot just 36.5 percent, 29.5 percent from 3-point range. The Zags were sharp early in the second half, only to watch the Gamecocks rev up their comeback machine. With 7:06 left in the game, the Gamecocks took a 67-65 lead after trailing by as much as 14 points in the second half. Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski is 7-foot-1 and 300 pounds. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.
The total has gone under in seven of Gonzaga’s last 10 games. Second-chance points are incredibly important when teams are this evenly matched, and nobody attacks the glass like North Carolina. Thornwell (15 points) shot an inefficient 4-of-12. That but a bills-eye on their backs but they have fought their way to the desert and to the NCAA’s final game.
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North Carolina has waited 364 days to return to the national championship game.
