As readers who know me are aware, I seldom
determine what I will write about until it times to generate a post. Today is no exception. Occasionally, I can commit from the outset
the post will not be a long one. Consider
that a made promise.
Sports are a significant element of our
national culture. In general terms, I am
a casual sports fan. There are sports
whose nuances I do not grasp (football and soccer come to mind), sports that I
watch every now and then (if a favorite player in competing; e.g., Serena or
Tiger), sports that I once played, but seldom watch now (Thanks for the
memories Little League Baseball), and then there is basketball…the sport that I
still play twice a week, even at my advanced age. No surprise that is my fave.
Monday night, the Wildcats of Villanova
University captured the 2016 NCAA Division I College Basketball National
Championship in a game played at NRG Stadium in Houston. Championships are hard to come by, so it goes
without saying, the fact ‘Nova won was huge in and of itself. The Cats played five games in the Tournament
prior to the Championship tilt. They won
those contests by more than 24 points per game on average. Not only that, but they beat the overall
Number 1 Seed, Kansas University, holding them to 59 points in the
process. They demolished a Number 2
Seed, Oklahoma University, holding them to 51 points, and winning by 44, the
largest margin of victory in Final Four history. They did this despite facing the Tourney’s leading
scorer, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, who scored 37 points (including 8 straight 3’s)
against Number 1 Seed Oregon in the game before playing Nova. The Cats held him to 9 points in their 44-point
victory.
In Monday’s Title Game, Villanova, a 2 Seed,
was matched up against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, another
Number 1 Seed. The teams were similar in
that they both entered the contest with a measure of feeling underappreciated
and over critiqued. It’s fair to say,
both teams (and their respective fan bases) had a proverbial chip on their
shoulders.
The Heels managed to gain a narrow advantage in
the first half, going up by as many as 7 points, and leading by 5, 39-34, at
the half. The Cats responded by rallying
and ultimately leading by 10 with 5:29 to play.
It was the Tar Heels’ turn to rally, and they did, tying the score at 74
all with 4.7seconds left on an improbable double clutch 3-point by the Tar
Heels’ Academic All-American Marcus Paige.
The two heavyweights had each had their moments,
and while Nova had managed to gain the bigger advantage at a more critical
point in the game, with less than 5 seconds left, it was essentially 0-0. The Carolina faithful, undoubtedly breathed a
sigh of relief, while the Tar Heel team exhorted by their venerable coach, Roy
Williams, and their inimitable senior leader, Marcus Paige, exited their huddle
understanding their mission; play 4.7 seconds of defense and get to overtime.
Alas, Villanova had a different mission. Win the game in regulation. With .4 seconds remaining, Villanova’s Kris
Jenkins made the play of the game, the play of the Tournament, and quite
possibly the single most notable play in the history of the game, and certainly
of NCAA Title Games. Quite simply he
hoisted a shot that while traveling through the air toward the basket would not
end its flight until there was nothing but zeroes on the clock. Oh by the way, it went cleanly through the
net. With that, the Tar Heels’ mission
was exploded, while Nova’s was both realized, and immediately celebrated. For the first time in the history of the
Tournament, which launched in 1939, the game ended with a made 3-pointer at the
buzzer with no time on the clock.
There are those who might argue some other
(Title) game was higher scoring, more aesthetically pleasing, or more physical,
but for sheer optics, excitement, between two teams playing the best basketball
of the season, and a spine-tingling knockout punch at the last possible moment
finish, I submit to you Monday Night’s contest was the unparalleled defining
moment of NCAA Title Games.
As a passing FYI, I must add a moment of
self-disclosure. The Heels are my
team. I count myself among alumni and
fans. I confess, had Carolina won, I
would not have written about the Tourney/this game. My opting to do so is in an odd way cathartic
(for me).
I’ve observed, heard, and read about others who
focused on the officiating. Most, but
not all the observations came from Tar Heel fans. I understand fully that the conventional view
of such commentary, especially those emanating from fans of the team that lost,
are prone to be viewed as sour grapes.
But just to be clear, while I do not subscribe to the notion that Nova
won because of officiating (they played hard, they played smart, they played
with pride, and perhaps most important, they played hard, smart, and with
pride, until the final buzzer sounded.
That is, in my opinion, why they won the game.
However, there are insightful fans that are not
UNC alum or fans that also questioned “the Stripes.” Just for chuckles, see below a couple of
examples tweeted Monday night by two distinguished gentlemen who attended a
prestigious University not named UNC:
Retweeted 2,355 time
Officials
have had a tough night. Unfortunate.
2,355
retweets/2,167 likes
I feel
bad for both teams. This is one of the worst officiating championship games I
have ever seen. @ESPN @Sportscenter
2,115 retweets/1,766 likes
With that I close by reiterating the Title
thought…”One For The Ages: Hail To The Cats!”
I’m done; holla back!
Find a new post
each Wednesday.
To subscribe,
click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home
Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated
space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break
It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.
Consult the links below for more
detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment