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UNC Basketball: Kennedy Meeks comes up big for Tar Heels

By Zack Pearson

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
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 /
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Kennedy Meeks came up huge for the North Carolina Tar Heels who find themselves in a familiar place

The North Carolina Tar Heels are returning to the national championship game Monday in Phoenix, Arizona and that’s thanks in large part to Kennedy Meeks.

The senior center showed up when UNC needed him to the most and may have saved the Tar Heels season.

UNC opened the game up scoring the first five points but struggled after that. The Tar Heels couldn’t make a bucket for what it seemed like forever in the first half.

Yet, they kept the game close in large part to Oregon turning the ball over.

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But if there was one consistent player for the Tar Heels in the first half, it was Meeks.

He scored 14 first half points and helped the Tar Heels grab a 39-36 halftime lead. Meeks was unstoppable in the paint despite the presence of Jordan Bell.

In the second half, Meeks picked up right where he left off.

“I just knew that we had to be aggressive in the paint,” Meeks said. “Coach told us it was going to be a man’s game. Us four big men had to do a good job on the inside.”

Meeks finished the game with 25 points and 14 rebounds. He became the first player to record 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Final Four since Greg Oden in 2007.

But the biggest stat is that Meeks had 8 offensive rebounds on the game and none bigger than his last one.

With UNC holding a 77-76 lead and just seconds to go, Meeks grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed free throw and kicked it out to seal the deal.

It came after Theo Pinson grabbed an offensive rebound off two missed free throw attempts by Meeks.

Meeks was just dominant all game long for the Tar Heels. In five NCAA Tournament games this year, Meeks is averaging  11.8 rebounds per game. That’s third-best in UNC history behind just Pete Brennan (13.4) and Antawn Jamison (12.6).

Following the game, Meeks spoke on that play.

“I got down on myself missing the two free throws,” Meeks said. “Definitely could have been good for us but my main focus was if Joel (Berry) missed the second free throw, hit the offensive glass hard. I know early in the game I didn’t hit the offensive glass hard and I looked over at coach and he kinda gave me the motion to hit the offensive glass.”

The Tar Heels needed all of the effort from Meeks as starters Joel Berry and Isaiah Hicks struggled to find consistency. The two combined to shoot just 3-of-26 from the field, an ugly stat.

Now the attention turns to Gonzaga, who is making its first appearance in the national championship.

Next: UNC beats Oregon to move on

By now you know the storyline for UNC who lost on a buzzer beater in 2016. They are back and out to finish some business they left on that Houston court last April.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for complete pregame and postgame coverage of the National Championship Game.

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