National Championship Game: Quick Guide To Villanova Vs. UNC
Need a primer on the NCAA men's basketball national championship game? See below for a quick guide:
The teams
No. 2 seed Villanova (34-5) will face No. 1 seed North Carolina (33-6) in the NCAA men's basketball national championship game Monday night. On Saturday, Villanova beat No. 2 seed Oklahoma 95-51 in a prolific shooting night, going 71.4% from the field, the second-best field goal percentage in men's Final Four history. In the nightcap, UNC defeated No. 10 Syracuse 83-66 to add to the Tar Heels' stellar postseason resume.
Tipoff time: At 9:19 p.m. ET Monday.
Location: NRG Stadium in Houston.
Options for watching
The main game broadcast will be on TBS, which like CNN, is a Time Warner company. Jim Nantz will call the game with analysts Grant Hill and Bill Raftery and reporter Tracy Wolfson. Additionally, "Team Stream by Bleacher Report" for team-specific coverage will include the North Carolina Team Stream on TNT and the Villanova Team Stream on truTV, also a Time Warner company. North Carolina Team Stream commentators will include Wes Durham calling the game with analyst Brendan Haywood and reporter Dwayne Ballen. The Villanova Team Stream will be called by Scott Graham with analyst Brian Finneran and reporter Kacie McDonnell. Team Stream coverage on TNT and truTV will begin at 9 p.m. ET.
The coaches
Villanova: Jay Wright is 19-12 during his career in the NCAA tournament, including a 19-10 record with Villanova. It's the 11th time he has led Villanova to the NCAAs and the first time in the national championship game.
UNC: Roy Williams, who won national championships with UNC in 2005 and 2009, will make his fifth appearance in the national championship game. He is in a tie with Adolph Rupp (Kentucky) and Dean Smith (UNC) for the third-most title game appearances in NCAA history. UCLA's John Wooden has the record with 10 appearances, while Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is second with nine. Williams is 70-23 in his career in the NCAA tournament, including a 36-9 record at UNC. That win total ranks second in NCAA history behind Krzyzewski, who has 90.
Key players
Villanova: Six Wildcats scored in double figures in Saturday's blowout win against Oklahoma. Junior guard Josh Hart led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds. Joining him in double digits in points were junior forward Kris Jenkins (18), senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono (15), freshman guard/forward Mikal Bridges (11), senior forward Daniel Ochefu (10) and sophomore guard Phil Booth (10).
UNC: Four Tar Heels scored in double figures in Saturday's win against Syracuse. Senior forward Brice Johnson and sophomore forward Justin Jackson each had 16 points, while junior forward Kennedy Meeks had 15. Senior guard Marcus Paige added 13 points. Also notable, sophomore guard Joel Berry II chipped in eight points and 10 assists.
History between UNC and Villanova
Monday night's game will be the seventh time the Tar Heels and Wildcats have faced each other in the NCAA tournament; UNC has a 5-1 advantage heading into it. Overall, UNC is 11-4 against Villanova. It will be the first time the two teams will go against each other for the national championship. The teams met in the 2009 Final Four, with UNC winning 77-62 to advance to (and ultimately win) the title game.
UNC's track record in national championship games
Monday will be the 10th national championship game for UNC. In the other nine appearances, the Tar Heels have won five titles: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009. They also played for the championship in 1946, 1968, 1977 and 1981.
Villanova's track record at national championship
Villanova will be playing for the third time in the national championship. The Wildcats' last appearance is part of NCAA tournament lore. In 1985, the year the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams, No. 8 seed Villanova emerged as the unlikely champion, defeating No. 1 Georgetown 66-64 in the title game, one of the biggest upsets in U.S. sports history. In that game, the Wildcats shot 78.6%, which is still the best field goal percentage in title game history. Villanova lost in its other national title game appearance, 68-62, to UCLA in 1971.
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