--- title: Villanova Beats North Carolina At Buzzer, Wins Championship description: College basketball — on that big a stage, with a national title at stake — has never seen a final sequence like this one. canonical: https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/ author: Sean Gregory article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-05T07:22:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:10.329Z article:section: Sports og:title: Buzzer Beater: How Villanova Won a Classic NCAA Title Game og:description: College basketball — on that big a stage, with a national title at stake — has never seen a final sequence like this one og:url: https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt817a80a043f1358e/69888dad196cf49ee803b089/gettyimages-519180620-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GettyImages-519180620-1 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Buzzer Beater: How Villanova Won a Classic NCAA Title Game twitter:description: College basketball — on that big a stage, with a national title at stake — has never seen a final sequence like this one twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt817a80a043f1358e/69888dad196cf49ee803b089/gettyimages-519180620-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Buzzer Beater: How Villanova Won a Classic NCAA Title Game > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Sean Gregory](https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/)  ## Sean Gregory Senior Correspondent Apr 5, 2016 7:22 AM UTC  Villanova players mob teammate Kris Jenkins (#2) after he sinks a buzzer-beater to beat North Carolina in the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on April 4, 2016 Villanova players mob teammate Kris Jenkins (#2) after he sinks a buzzer-beater to beat North Carolina in the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on April 4, 2016Ronald Martinez—2016 Getty Images  by [Sean Gregory](https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/)  ## Sean Gregory Senior Correspondent Apr 5, 2016 7:22 AM UTC All night long, the game had that feel. It was tight, intense, bound to come down to the very end. Before 74,340 fans at NRG Stadium in Houston Monday, Villanova and North Carolina played a national championship game with wild swings. Carolina couldn’t miss in the first half. Villanova got hot in the second. The undersized Wildcats hit tough shot after tough shot, and on defense, pestered Carolina’s longer players down low. The Tar Heels couldn’t hide their frustration. Two free throws from Villanova’s Phil Booth — who came off the bench to score 20 points, on 6 for 7 shooting — gave the Wildcats a [double-digit lead](http://time.com/4281685/jenkins-college-basketball-ncaa-villanova-wildecats/?xid=homepage), 67-57, with 5:29 to go. When Villanova won their last championship in 1985, the Wildcats slayed Georgetown, who was heavily favored and featured Patrick Ewing, the best player in the county. They were a charming underdog with a rascally coach, Rollie Massimino. This Villanova team spent a portion of the regular season as the top team in the country. ‘Nova romped through the first three rounds, knocked off the top-seeded team in the tournament — Kansas — in the Elite 8, and then wiped out Oklahoma in the national semifinal, by an [historic margin](http://www.wsj.com/articles/villanova-demolishes-oklahoma-in-biggest-rout-in-final-four-history-1459642813). The Wildcats thoroughly earned this championship. ### NCAA March Madness: Highlights from Villanova’s Victory Over North Carolina  The Villanova Wildcats celebrate defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74 to win the 2016 NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Streeter Lecka—Getty Images  The Villanova Wildcats hoist the trophy after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74 to win the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Streeter Lecka—Getty Images  North Carolina's Theo Pinson sits in the locker room after Villanova defeated North Caroline in the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Eric Gay—AP  Villanova Wildcats' Kris Jenkins (2) shoots the game-winning three pointer to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74 in the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Streeter Lecka—Getty Images  North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) shoots and scores a three-point basket against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half of the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Robert Deutsch—USA Today Sports/Reuters  Villanova guard Josh Hart (3) prepares to shoots as North Carolina forward Justin Jackson (44) defends during the second half of the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Eric Gay—AP  Villanova forward Daniel Ochefu (23) and North Carolina forward Kennedy Meeks (3) scramble for the ball during the second half of the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Eric Gay—AP  Villanova Wildcats Daniel Ochefu (23) lays up the ball up against North Carolina Tar Heels' Joel James (42) during the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Ronald Martinez—Getty Images  Villanova Wildcats guard Jalen Brunson (1) shoots the ball against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) during the second half NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Bob Donnan—USA Today Sports/Reuters  Villanova Wildcats' Daniel Ochefu (23) shoots against North Carolina Tar Heels' Marcus Paige (5) in the first half of the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Chris Steppig—Press Pool/Getty Images  North Carolina forward Justin Jackson (44) shoots against Villanova guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball National Championship game on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Eric Gay—AP  Fans cheer during the first half of the NCAA college basketball National Championship game between Villanova and North Carolina on April 4, 2016 in Houston. Kevin Jairaj—USA Today Sports/Reuters Until it slipped away. Carolina finally started clamping down on D, blocking shots, using their size. The Tar Heels sank a couple of huge threes. With a minute left, they were down just a point, 70-69\. Carolina suffocated Villanova on the next possession: Booth drove into the lane, with nowhere to go, before Isaiah Hicks of North Carolina fouled him. Cheap call, but no matter: Booth hit both foul shots to push the lead back to three, 72-69\. Carolina pushed the ball up the floor and Marcus Paige drove for the quick two-pointer, but he blew the layup! But somehow, he wrestled the ball for an offensive rebound, and willed it back into the basket. 72-71 Villanova. The Wildcats played keep away for ten precious seconds until Brice Johnson fouled Villanova’s Josh Hart with 13.5 seconds left. Hart calmly hit both free throws — Villanova deserves credit making foul shots in the last minute — before Villanova called timeout, up three, 74-71, with 13.5 seconds left. Now things got really good. Because college basketball — on that big a stage, with a national title at stake — has never seen a final sequence like this one. Search around all sports to find a championship finish that will cause you to scream in disbelief, twice. It won’t be easy. Carolina took the ball out under its own basket. Johnson inbounded it to Berry, who crossed half-court at 12.3 seconds. Since college basketball introduced the three-point line in 1986, coaches have faced an end-of-game dilemma. If you’re up three in the waning seconds, do you foul the opposing player before he can launch a three-point shot, putting him on the foul line instead? Math says that’s a sound strategy. The surest way to prevent a player from making a three-point shot is not letting him take one. **Read More:** [_Watch The Buzzer-Beating Three-Pointer That Ended The NCAA Championship_](http://time.com/4281690/ncaa-final-kris-jenkins-three-pointer-villanova-unc/?xid=homepage) But many coaches fear their players will inadvertently foul an opponent _while_ he’s shooting a three, giving him three free throws. So they just play D. Villanova coach Jay Wright chose this strategy. It seemed to be working. Berry dribbled to his right, still back near the half-court logo, with 9.4 seconds left and Villanova’s Mikal Bridges in front of him. The whole gym knew Berry was looking for Paige, who had come off a screen from Johnson: Villanova big man Daniel Ochefu denied Paige the ball 0ut high, on the right side of the floor. Berry threw a bounce pass to Paige anyhow. Ochefu dove for the ball, somehow missed it, and fell to the ground, giving Paige an opening. At 8.3 seconds, Paige caught the ball. He took two dribbles with his right hand and raised up to shoot with his left. Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono, however, was in perfect position to help: he jumped at Paige, disrupting his shot. But in mid-air, at 7 seconds, Paige double-pumped, sending Arcidiacono soaring by him. A half-second later, Paige — feet still off the ground — let a three-pointer fly. It was the type of desperation heave you try while messing around with your friends in the driveway. It never goes in. With 4.7 seconds left, Paige’s miracle rattled in the basket. Tie game. Bedlam. Disbelief. Timeout Villanova. The Wildcats now had less than five seconds to go the length of the floor and win the game. Otherwise, heartbreak and overtime. Could Villanova bounce back after surrendering that lead, and suffering Paige’s gut punch? Ochefu grabbed a mop from a young attendant, and started cleaning up a wet spot along the baseline, easing the tension a bit. Kris Jenkins inbounded the ball. At times in this game, Jenkins looked like Charles Barkley in his prime: too small, a tad rotund, but still unstoppable. He hit a three earlier in the half that put Villanova up by seven points. Jenkins was 94 feet from the basket. No one was guarding him. Jenkins tossed it into Arcidiacono, who dribbled down the left side, past Ochefu’s mop-work. Jenkins trailed behind him, all alone. Arcidiacono crossed his dribble to his right hand, and passed mid-court, in front of the NCAA logo, at 2.7 seconds. Jenkins still trailed him, like a running back in the option play, still solo. Two Carolina defenders, Berry and Isaiah Hicks, converged on Arcidiacono. North Carolina’s Brice Johnson remained back in the foul lane, not guarding a soul. Jenkins called for the ball. “Arch! Arch! Arch!” he screamed. Arcidiacono had an easy decision. He flipped the ball to Jenkins while crossing in front of Berry and Hicks, creating a natural screen for his teammate. Jenkins caught it at 1.5 seconds, set himself, and released a rainbow. Hicks lunged at it, late, waving at air. Jenkins, whose mom discouraged him from taking outside shots when he was younger, won the national championship with a long three. Cue the confetti. Villanova won it all at the buzzer, 77-74\. Carolina fought back and made it a game. And we’ll all get to relive these final five seconds, for years. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/"},"headline":"Buzzer Beater: How Villanova Won a Classic NCAA Title Game","datePublished":"2016-04-05T07:22:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:10.329Z","description":"A beautifully crafted play and dramatic shot ended a classic final","url":"https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/","keywords":["College Basketball","North Carolina","March Madness","FInal Four"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt817a80a043f1358e/69888dad196cf49ee803b089/gettyimages-519180620-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sean Gregory","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt817a80a043f1358e/69888dad196cf49ee803b089/gettyimages-519180620-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-519180620-1","caption":"during the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at NRG Stadium on April 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas.","creditText":"Ronald Martinez—2016 Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/college-basketball/","name":"College Basketball"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/","name":"Buzzer Beater: How Villanova Won a Classic NCAA Title Game"}}]}] ```