North Carolina Tar Heels: Gonzaga could be a Matchup for the Ages
By Connor Hall
The North Carolina Tar Heels get a second chance in two years when they face the Gonzaga Bulldogs for the National Title.
North Carolina Tar Heels point guard Marcus Paige had just made a tying three pointer…and then this happens
“Gives it to Jenkins for the Championship, ohhhhhh. The Villanova Wildcats are the National Champions!”
Just like that, the Tar Heels title hopes came to end, seconds after Marcus Paige hit the second best shot of the tournament, tying the game with 4.7 seconds left.
What a National Championship game that was. Two very prestigious schools battling it out for the right to call themselves the nations best, only seconds deciding the entire game. People will be talking about that game for decades to come, telling their grandkids, who will one day tell their grandkids, and so on. Historic.
Believe it or not, this year’s title game between #1 Gonzaga and #1 North Carolina has the potential to be an even better game. Don’t believe me? Keep reading for 3 reasons why this year’s title game might be better than last year’s.
1.) The newbie vs. the veteran.
This is Gonzaga’s first ever National Championship game, while North Carolina’s is playing in their 11th championship game. Coming of a one-loss season, Mark Few seems to have a Gonzaga team that has the pieces to take down the Tar Heels, but the championship experience of Roy Williams and the Tar Heels cannot be overlooked.
2.) Battle of the big dogs.
North Carolina comes into this one as the top rebounding team in the country, which everyone saw in the Final Four, when the Tar Heels got not one, but two offensive rebounds on free-throws to seal the win over Oregon. Kennedy Meeks is having a historic year, here’s proof:
North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball
When Meeks is on the court, he grabs 16% of the UNC misses. Also, he has pulled in 168 offensive rebounds this season, and has a plus-minus of 8 when he is on the court (highest among the two teams left). His performances has given the Tar Heels the best offensive rebounding rate in the nation, at 42 percent. Kennedy Meeks spoke with Sports Illustrated on the matchup with Gonzaga in the finals.
“These are the games I live for,” Meeks said, later adding: “It’s definitely gonna be a dogfight.”
How can the ‘Zags manage to out-rebound the Tar Heels? Well having a 7-footer will certainly help. Standing at 7’-1″ and 300 pounds, Karnowski of Gonzaga will certainly have his hands full with Kennedy Meeks, who isn’t small himself, standing at 6’10”, weighing 260 pounds.
“I’m just very excited for the matchup,” said Karnowski. “I think it’s gonna be a great show.”
With these two bruisers facing off, it’s evident that it will be the best matchup to watch all night.