NORTH CAROLINA REIGNS

North Carolina forward Kennedy Meeks stuffs Gonzaga forward Zach Collins during Monday’s NCAA Tournament championship game in Glendale, Ariz. North Carolina beat Gonzaga, 71-65, to win its sixth national championship. The Tar Heels closed the game on a 9-

Seldom in life do we get what we actually desperately want.

For a year now — almost exactly to the day — all these North Carolina players wanted was a chance to redeem themselves, an opportunity to erase the heartbreak from last April’s national championship game loss. They wanted this: a title of their own.

And, somehow, they got just that.

It took a 22-point redemptive effort from point guard Joel Berry II, who shot so poorly in Saturday’s semifinal, a late basket by Isaiah Hicks and a key block by Kennedy Meeks for North Carolina to erase a year of angst, beating Gonzaga 71-65 in Monday night’s national championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Tar Heels became just the fourth team to come back from losing the national championship the year before to win it the following year. It is the third national championship for North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who has won all three with the Tar Heels since 2005. That puts him one ahead of his mentor, Dean Smith. And this one didn’t come easy. The Tar Heels were plagued by poor shooting throughout much of the game, including the first half at 30.6% from the field and a putrid 15.4% from beyond the arc. Foul shooting was atrocious (57%) as well.

But, much like its national semifinal win against Oregon, weathering the opponent’s storm proved to be more important than just about anything else. North Carolina, which trailed by three at the break, burst into the second half with an 8-0 run that forced Gonzaga coach Mark Few to call a timeout .

Gonzaga’s strength — its size in the post — became problematic early in the second half as well, with all three of its big men finding themselves in serious foul trouble.

North Carolina put it away in the final five minutes, finding redemption along the way.

BOB DONNAN, USA TODAY SPORTS

BOB DONNAN, USA TODAY SPORTS Gonzaga’s Jordan Mathews, left, defends against North Carolina’s Justin Jackson in the second half Monday in Glendale, Ariz.