Redemption for North Carolina
North Carolina players celebrate winning the NCAA men’s title Monday with a 71-65 win against Gonzaga.
GLENDALE, ARIZ. Blow a whistle on the referees.
A year after Villanova snatched the title from North Carolina’s hands in the closing seconds, the referees hijacked this one. Sure, the Tar Heels won their title — that’s No. 6, for those counting, and their third since 2005 — with a 71-65 victory against Gonzaga, but all anyone will remember is the foul-fest.
What had the makings of a wildly entertaining finish became an interminable slog Monday night as the refs called 11 fouls in the first four-plus minutes of the second half. Both teams were in the bonus with 14 minutes to play, bringing the game’s flow and pace to a grinding halt.
Worse, the fouls neutralized Gonzaga’s game plan by taking its big men out of the game. Zach Collins picked up his fourth foul with 15:53 to play, and Przemek Karnowski got whistled for No. 3 a mere 10 seconds later.
Karnowski would pick up his fourth on a flagrant with 8:02 to play, while Collins would foul out with five minutes to play.
North Carolina wasn’t spared from the carnage, either. Kennedy Meeks played the last 9:42 with four fouls.
But Justin Jackson came up with some big shots in the last two minutes and Isaiah Hicks, so cold all tournament, got hot at the right time, making a one-handed layup with 25 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
That the officiating was this bad was fitting, given that it was a theme all tournament. All season, really.
But it’s too bad, because this wasn’t what fans wanted to see. And it means North Carolina’s redemptive title will always be overshadowed.