The Bernstein Brief: NCAA Final Was An All-Timer
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) It's a rare treat to know in real time just how special a game is, and Monday's night's NCAA final gave us every opportunity to grasp the moment.
It built steadily to its crescendo with two outstanding teams making contested shots in flurries of end-to-end action. Villanova shot 58.3 percent from the floor, going 8-for-14 from 3-point range. North Carolina made 11 of its 17 from that range, including Marcus Paige's reloaded double-clutch that tied the game with 4.7 seconds left to complete the Tar Heels' late comeback from down 10.
Then Kris Jenkins and the buzzer and the confetti.
We understood that it was one of the best college basketball games, and we expressed it immediately. The avalanche of Twitter memes even waited a few moments as we took it all in.
The lasting image for me will be that of Villanova coach Jay Wright, with the coolest coaching under-reaction imaginable. As much fun as it was to watch Jim Valvano running around like a madman in 1983 upon winning his championship, I'll take Wright's confident acknowledgement of victory.
Unlike so many of his peers in the business, Wright didn't make one of the game's most memorable instants all about him.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.