West Charlotte alumnus Kennedy Meeks celebrates final victory in Carolina blue

It took some time for that to happen.

And Isaiah Hicks, who struggled to find an offensive rhythm in previous tournament games, came up with a huge bucket with 22 second remaining.

Yep, that’s him holding the trophy following the Tar Heels’ 71-65 victory.

“I probably screwed it up”, Williams said when asked for his thoughts on the White House. “I think that’s why when you guys asked us about him, none of us were anxious because we know how tough he is and we know as a team how important getting here and winning this game was”.

I believe this could have been a classic with two really fine teams slugging it out both inside and out. When the game was almost over and he was standing at the free throw line, the first attempt clanged off the rim before the second found the net.

Gonzaga, the small-school perennial contender who had made it to the Final Four for the first time in their 19th straight appearance in the national tournament, missed nine consecutive shots in the second half, going more than eight minutes without a basket.

Below, we’ve put together all the information you need for Monday’s matchup, and stay tuned – this story will update with all the latest and greatest from the championship night. With Gonzaga trailing by three and looking to tie, Kennedy Meeks blocked a determined Nigel Williams-Goss and the play led to a breakaway and game-securing dunk.

“I think that was just a youngster willing the ball in the hole”, Williams said. “Like, literally, waterworks. I just start tearing up”. Gonzaga Coach Mark Few said after the game he would have called for a review had he seen Meeks’ hand cross the line, although the NCAA later said the call wasn’t reviewable anyway.

It was the kind of stat line few could have predicted based on his dismal stat line against OR – but teammate Kennedy Meeks did. “I’m not surprised at all”. I don’t know which country.

It appears a majority of the team feel the same way. The rankings are based on our points system: 1 points for losing in the round of 64, 2 points for losing in the round of 32, 3 points for losing in the Sweet 16, 4 points for losing in the Elite 8, 5 points for losing in the Final Four, 6 points for losing in the final, 8 points for winning the championship. While anecdotal, UNC forward Luke Maye, who hit the buzzer-beater to top Kentucky in the regional final last week, even showed up for his 8 a.m. class in Chapel Hill the next day, as a viral video by a classmate snapped of his warm welcome back.

“Coach is superstitious, ” Rush said.

“I’m not going to talk about refs”, Karnowski said. I felt like I was always trying.

The Zags reached the Final Four for the first time this season, ending more than a decade of you’re-overrated criticism. Both teams were in the bonus with 14 minutes left in the second half, a half where there were 23 fouls called in the first 15 minutes and every big man on the floor played their way into foul trouble.