NCAA Tournament: Tar Heels zag past Gonzaga to win it all

The North Carolina Tar Heels have won the National Championship. What did UNC do to beat the Bulldogs of Gonzaga?

Redemption is defined as the act of atoning for a fault or mistake. Last season, the Tar Heels failed to cover a trailing three-point shooter and they lost a heart-breaker.

After their 71-65 win over Gonzaga, the Tar Heels have gotten redemption. They also have yet another national championship banner to add to the rafters.

So how did the game play out?

First Half

North Carolina trailed heading into the half. The last time they were trailing going into the half? The game at Virginia. The Tar Heels lost that one by 10 points. The good news? UNC was leading at the half in last year’s title game. Maybe they need to be down to win.

Apr 1, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) brings down a rebound ahead of Oregon Ducks forward Jordan Bell (1) during the second half in the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

North Carolina was down for several reasons. The first was shooting. Phoenix has not been a friend to the Tar Heels. Carolina finished the half 11-of-36 from the floor, including 2-of-13 from behind the arc.

Meanwhile, they also got outrebounded by one on the glass. UNC has been outrebounded only three times this season. All three times they lost.

Gonzaga didn’t shoot the ball great either, (12-of-30) but did shoot better from downtown. They also got a huge game from Josh Perkins who had a first half game-high of 13 points. Perkins had zero against South Carolina.

Gonzaga also had some early foul trouble as Zack Collins, Johnathan Williams, Przemek Karnowski, and Perkins all had two fouls in the first half. Luke Maye and Nate Britt each had two for the Tar Heels.

UNC did get a good half from Joel Berry II. The junior guard has been the talk of the weekend because of his ankle injuries. Berry had UNC’s only two shots from downtown to go with three assists and two steals.

Finally, the matchup everyone was talking about was a bit of a dud. Przemek Karnowski and Kennedy Meeks combined to go 2-of-8 from the floor, with both baskets coming from Meeks. In the first half, this matchup was the wash everyone thought it would be.

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Isaiah Hicks (4) dunks the ball against Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Josh Perkins (13) during the second half in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

Second Half

The second half was foul-a-palooza. The two teams combined to finish with 44 fouls and shot 52 free throws. Four players finished with four fouls and one player fouled out.

But in the end, the Tar Heels found a way to win, as they did this whole tournament. Kennedy Meeks played stellar defense finishing with two huge blocks and 10 boards.

The Tar Heels finished the game with a 9-2 run. Justin Jackson, who shot a horrific 6-of-19 for the game, had six of those points.

Think about this. North Carolina won the game despite missing 11 free throws. They won despite making only 35 percent of their shots. They won despite shooting 4-of-26 from downtown (14 percent). That’s what defines this team. They did it despite everything else.

The season is now officially over. There is no better way to win than with title number six and three for Roy, the most at UNC.

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