The Villanova Victory; The Hart of the Team and How Jenkins Sealed the Deal

HOUSTON, TX-- The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Villanova Wildcats battled it out at the NRG Stadium in Houston tonight for the coveted title of NCAA Tournament champions. The two teams both came off of spectacular Final Four wins, setting up for what would be a very exciting championship game. However, Villanova was able to edge out North Carolina with its dynamic gameplay, clinching the NCAA championship trophy.

The game was fast-paced from the start, with several turnovers from both teams in the first two minutes. North Carolina managed to edge out Villanova at the five minute mark, using their size advantage to force several Villanova blunders, but couldn’t hold onto their two-point lead for long. Villanova guard Josh Hart and forward Kris Jenkins were crucial to the offense, landing several three-point shots to help the team maintain a small lead throughout the first half. North Carolina powerhouses Joel Berry and Brie Johnson may have helped North Carolina clinch a lead in the first half, but it was Josh Hart’s leadership and Kris Jenkins's tenacity in the second half that lead Villanova to victory.

After several big mistakes with the first minute of gameplay, North Carolina began to slow down and read Villanova’s defensive strategy, choosing to attack from the outside the key with three-point shots rather than trying to use their strength to attack the rim; a move that lead to their dominance throughout the season.

After North Carolina began to bully the Villanova offense, Hart and Jenkins were unable to maintain the power they showed in the first half. Villanova players tried to get the ball to the dynamic duo, but it became clear that Villanova would have to rework their offensive strategy in order to get past North Carolina; and that’s exactly what Villanova coach Jay Wright did going into the second half.

Despite ending the first half trailing by five, Villanova came into the second half stronger than ever, allowing Hart to shine once again. With the support of his defense, he was able to calm down and focus on creating plays for the Villanova offense, closing North Carolina's lead to only two-points with the help of Jerkins’ three-point shots. North Carolina tried to overcompensate by using too much strength, resulting in a foul by Berry and several silly passing mistakes.

Capitalizing on North Carolina’s sudden defensive collapse, Villanova was able to complete several great plays resulting in a 69-59 lead. As the clock dwindled down it was clear North Carolina was having a hard time recovering from Villanova’s new-found confidence. North Carolina attempted to fight back towards the end, even getting the score to 74-74 in the last four seconds of the game. However, Jenkins was able to seal the Villanova victory in the last second with a spectacular three-point jump shot.

By reworking their defensive strategy at the half, Villanova was able to flaunt the flaws in North Carolina’s offense and use them to their advantage. North Carolina’s failure to cover Hart and Jenkins allowed Villanova to make the crucial three-point shots that surged them ahead, leaving North Carolina looking like a amateur team, and leading to Villanova’s 77-74 victory.

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