Lucas: April 3 Flashback

By Adam Lucas

In a storybook finish that seems surreal even four years later, Carolina captured the 2017 national championship with a 71-65 win over Gonzaga.

It's difficult now to remember the true pain of the 2016 championship game loss, because now we know how the story ended the next year. At the time, 2016 felt crushing, as if there probably wouldn't be another similar chance for several years. Instead, it happened the very next season. The Tar Heels won a tough Atlantic Coast Conference regular season race by two full games, then had to navigate a difficult bracket that included a comeback to beat Arkansas followed by wins over a 4 seed (Butler), a 2 seed (Kentucky) and a 3 seed (Oregon) in the Final Four.

The Bulldogs actually led by two points with two minutes to play, as Nigel Williams-Goss was catching fire. But the Tar Heels finished the game on an 8-0 run, featuring a three-point play by Justin Jackson and then an incredibly difficult shot by Isaiah Hicks late in the shot clock to provide a 68-65 lead. The signature moment of the actual game action, the one most seared into the minds of most Carolina fans, was Kennedy Meeks blocking a Gonzaga shot, leading to a pass from Joel Berry to Jackson for the title-sealing slam dunk.

Berry hit four three-pointers and scored 22 points on his way to Most Outstanding Player honors. The win set off an emotional celebration in Phoenix, with 364 days of frustration and questions about the loss to Villanova exorcised by Roy Williams' third national championship and the program's sixth NCAA crown.

Some of the most indelible images from that night: Berry clutching the basketball with seconds remaining, roaring in celebration after competing through the entire NCAA Tournament with painful ankle injuries. Tears flowing on the court, a true window into just how intense the last year had been. Hubert Davis overwhelmed in the Carolina locker room, having been afraid he might never experience a championship.

The postgame column is one of my favorites, with some honest insight from Meeks and Lennie Rosenbluth watching the game with Woody Durham and a freshman named Brandon Robinson getting to live out his dream.

Also on April 3

1993: In a rematch from the 1991 Final Four, Carolina reversed the outcome, defeating Roy Williams and Kansas, 78-68, in New Orleans in the Final Four. The game featured an outstanding performance from Donald Williams, who went 5-for-7 from the three-point line and finished with 25 points. The Jayhawks closed to within three points in the final three minutes before Williams drained his biggest three of the game. For good measure, the Garner native also hit four big free throws down the stretch. Williams' team actually had the outside firepower to compete with the Tar Heels (Adonis Jordan and Rex Walters each hit five three-pointers) but they couldn't match Carolina's imposing size. The Tar Heel front line held a 50-23 scoring advantage, led by Eric Montross with 23 points. The win advanced Carolina to the national championship game against Michigan.

2000: In Bill Guthridge's last game as Tar Heel head coach, Carolina fell to Florida, 71-59, at the Final Four in Indianapolis. The frustrating defeat, in which Carolina was plagued by foul trouble, was UNC's fourth loss in the national semifinals in the last six seasons. Florida raced to an 18-3 lead early, but the game was tied at 50-50. That's when point guard Ed Cota was limited by four personal fouls against the deep and talented Gators. Joseph Forte and Jason Capel fouled out and Brendan Haywood also dealt with four fouls. Florida's bench outscored Carolina's reserves, 37-2.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Brandon Robinson

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