As sweet as it was for North Carolina to win the 2017 NCAA championship, and as sweet as it was for the Tar Heels to redeem themselves after losing in agonizing fashion to Villanova in the title game a year ago, and as sweet as it was for Tar Heel coach Roy Williams to capture his third title, the underlying story to come out of Monday night was unfortunately something else.
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Their 71-65 win will not be mistaken for a work of art.
Nigel Williams-Goss had given Gonzaga a 65-63 lead by nailing a short jumper with 1:55 to play, but the Bulldogs came up empty on their final four possessions after Jackson’s heroics.
An earlier White House invitation came too late after North Carolina’s 2005 title because too many players were in National Basketball Association camps or playing overseas.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip).
North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks places his right hand outside of the line as Meeks and Gonzaga’s Silas Melson (0) battle for a loose ball during the second half in the finals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament.
That left Gonzaga unable to effectively initiate its inside-out game or protect the rim as aggressively as it had in the first half.
Gonzaga finishes their season with a record of 37-2.
During their remarkable run, the Zags were ranked No. 1 in the nation for four weeks and earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
“They made some big plays down the stretch, but it could very well be us out there celebrating right now”, Gonzaga forward Johnathan Williams said. Before Meeks could grow into Carolina’s Final Four hero, he first had to pass Roy Williams’ 12-minute run. Now their biggest unrealized goal is a national title.
For a year now – nearly exactly to the day – all these North Carolina players wanted was a chance to redeem themselves, an opportunity to erase the heartbreak from last April’s national championship game loss. “I hear about other schools, kids go on their mission, they come back and they have to go elsewhere”. He hoisted nine 3-point attempts, and he made zero of them, and just think: He was the ACC player of the year.
-North Carolina held Gonzaga to 33.9 percent shooting (20 of 59). I feel like, when you try, good thing is eventually going to happen. Both teams aimed to bring their own tempo and force their opposition into uncomfortable situations, however, both played through the adversary rather well. “It’s an honor and a blessing to be able to get my name up there because every time I come back and visit the gym – even though I’ve got one more year left – to see my name up there will be something that will be an awesome feeling”. The game was packed full of emotion and talent, providing one of the most memorable and closest games that we’ve witnessed this year. “But I really I don’t know what to say”.
Meeks had 25 points and 14 rebounds in the semifinal win but seven points and 10 boards against the Zags. However, oddly enough, only one player fouled out. But when it comes to building a winning program, coaches need to look to programs like UNC and Gonzaga and find players in it for the long haul rather than their 15 minutes of college fame.
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Williams added that he doesn’t know if he would get invited.
